


Photographs and Books

by NewEnglandBoi



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Hamanda, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21641260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NewEnglandBoi/pseuds/NewEnglandBoi
Summary: Amanda's trying to do well in her classes for once.Hannah's trying to get over her not-so-mysterious crush.Chariot, alongside the duo's friends, are trying to get them together.Hence a study date!This can only end well.
Relationships: Hannah England/Amanda O'Neill
Comments: 27
Kudos: 115





	1. A Request

For once in her life, Amanda O’Neill was paying attention in class.

That fact, in and of itself, would shock most of Luna Nova’s students and staff, though they’d be far less surprised to hear that she was doing so because she was failing. 

The problem had started over a week ago, after having received a test in her Clairvoyance class. A big, fat, red ‘F’ was plastered across the front of it, along with the age old ‘See me after class’ line next to it. Needless to say, her Professor wasn’t exactly impressed with her grades, in fact she seemed downright disappointed.

And to say Amanda got guilt tripped that day would be an understatement. She got the mother of all guilt trips, one that outlines just how badly she was failing, and just how badly she needed to pass the next test to avoid punishment. Especially once she was told about what that punishment would be.

`I didn’t think my grades were that bad, to be honest,’ Amanda thought to herself as she sat in class, absentmindedly twirling her wand as she begrudgingly paid attention. ‘Though I guess I wasn't paying too much attention to how much I was slipping.’ Her thoughts as to the nature of her studies were interrupted by the professor, who began her next talking point.

“There will be another test next class,” Professor Chariot Du Nord started, earning a collective groan from most of the class. “I know! I’m sorry but we’ve gone over so much material the last week that it needs to be done! I have faith in all of you!” She followed worriedly, wanting to put the class at ease, though it had little effect. “You can all come in after class to practice anytime if you’d like!”

“After all,” Chariot continued, her face lighting up as those of her students darkened. “Please no…” Amanda groaned, placing her head in her palms, while most other students got ready for the inevitable cheesy line. “A believing heart is your-”

The bell sounded, loudly throughout the room, relieving the class from the awkward moment. “....magic…” Chariot deflated, shoulders slumping as she followed it with a dejected “Class Dismissed.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Amanda stood up, gathering her notes and making for the exit, already thinking of a few novel ways to blow off some steam until dinner later that afternoon.

Well, she was, until a voice called her name.

“Miss O’Neill? Could I see you for a minute?” Amanda heard Chariot call. Another groan escaped her as she turned from the exit, walking back down the stairs of the lecture room to face her Professor. Everyone else had already filtered out by now, leaving just the two of them by themselves in the classroom.

On Chariot’s face was plastered look of concern, one that Amanda was familiar seeing when it came to Akko and her antics. The furrowed brow and downturned face seemed to be a result of both the...disappointing end to class and whatever it is she wanted to talk about. Chariot seemed to be searching for the right words to say, though it seemed she was continuing to draw a blank for a few seconds before finally opening her mouth to speak.

“Amanda, I’m sure you remember what you got on your last test, right?” She asked finally, as if having figured out a good way to start what would seem to be a rather difficult conversation, as far as Amanda could tell.

“Yeah, a big ol’ F, why?” She responded in her usual nonchalant tone, not letting it seem as if the fact was getting to her in any way. Though internally, she could feel the situation souring in a sense from her almost careless sounding retort.

Chariot sighed before continuing. “Well, it’s just, you’ve been failing my class all year. Come to think of it, you’re barely passing most of your classes.” That concern became ever more evident in Chariot’s tone of voice, and Amanda couldn’t help but notice just how little her demeanor had changed since the Missile Incident. Still as doting and worried about her students as ever. Though these thoughts could be put on the backburner for now, as Amanda simply shrugged.

“I know.” Was all she said, with another, heavier sigh escaping the now desperate professor. 

“It’s just, I want you to succeed, is all,” Chariot began, as if trying to implore something within Amanda for her to get her academic act together. “That’s why I’d like to make you an offer.” Chariot couldn’t say she was surprised when her student arched a brow at that, a skeptical aura radiating from her. 

“An offer, huh?” Amanda parroted, placing a hand on her hip. A sly grin stretched across her face. “What kinda offer we talkin’ here? I hope it’s not too special, otherwise you’d have to take me out to dinner first!” She joked with a suggestive tone, which was about the only word her Professor could use to describe it. Needless to say, Chariot wasn’t amused, crossing her arms and giving Amanda a glare that the girl could feel reaching into her core. It was clear that all the joke had done was make the normally calm and nervous professor angry.

“Miss O’Neill, my offer is for you to take part in a study session with another student. Not...whatever idea you’ve gotten in your head.” She said, displeasure plain on her face, and her voice. “And do I need to remind you what the stakes are here?” She added, mentally taking satisfaction in how Amanda’s face paled.

“Okay...who am I studying with then?” Amanda asked, wanting to switch the topic from her failed attempt at dirty humor. While she wasn’t overjoyed with the idea, she did admit she needed the extra help in her classes. And if she got paired with someone who was willing to help her in other classes, she might gain a lot from this then…

“Well…” Chariot started, looking away from Amanda as she drew out the solitary word. “I kinda...haven’t gotten that far yet…” In truth, she hadn’t even thought that Amanda would say yes to this, let alone ask who her partner would be for this. 

“But I’ll figure it out before the session!” Chariot said quickly, having noticed Amanda’s darkening face. “How does 4 PM tomorrow afternoon sound?” She asked, fixing her glasses.

“Uh, sure.” Amanda responded, tone unusually deadpan. “Can I go now?” Chariot at last relented, waving her hand. “Oh, of course! Goodbye!” Amanda responded with only a finger gun as she walked out.

Chariot sighed, turning to the pile of papers on her desk. Sitting down, she began to sift through them. These were homework papers to be turned in to the next class, and most of the students in them were getting excellent grades. Chariot knew that some of them don’t get along with Amanda, for obvious enough reasons. But maybe...if she were to avoid mentioning who they were helping…

‘Oh, this is a terrible idea.’ Chariot thought to herself, reclining in her chair. ‘But it’s crazy enough it just might work.’

\-----------------

For once in her life, Hannah England was at a loss for words.

Okay, that was figuratively speaking. She’d been at a loss of words before, many times, even. But this time was different from all the others. It hurt the most, in both the reason behind it and how it was affecting her.

And to think it all started with a photograph, of all things.

Piercing green eyes, slicked back pink and orange hair, and that stupid, sly grin that was worn so easily across that face.

No, stop thinking about it. It’ll only lead to trouble.

Hannah banished those thoughts from her mind, instead trying to focus on the task at hand. She was sitting in class, to the right of Barbara and Diana, the three of them dutifully jotting down notes while Professor Du Nord rattled on about advanced Clairvoyance and its uses. 

Only, for every line she seemed to write, the more her mind begged to take another peak at that photo, to gaze upon it once more. It was taking all of her willpower to continue to focus, diligently writing down everything of importance that the professor wrote or said during the class. Barbara, noticing Hannah’s slipping concentration, slid her friend her notebook, allowing her to copy some of the information. Diana didn’t seem to care much, seeming to not register the interaction despite the fact that she was sitting between the two of them. Hannah nodded her thanks to Barbara, and looked over the sheet, thankful for the fact that she hadn’t missed anything substantial during her lapse in focus.

Professor Du Nord ceased her writing on the chalkboard, before turning to the class, eyes scanning the crowd to make sure everyone was ready for what information she was about to relay next.

“Now, I hope that was an informative lesson for all of you, as there will be a test next class on this,” Chariot told the class, hiding her surprise at the lack of complaints this time around. “While I’m sure this may come as a shock to some of you, we’ve spent the last few weeks discussing the theory and practice of more advanced forms of Clairvoyance, thus it’s probably a good idea for me to give you a test before we go any further.”

Chariot continued, “As such, all of you can come in to practice! Within school hours and with my supervision of course.” All the while her eyes scanned the room, taking note of how the class took the news.

Most seemed off put by the mention of the test, but seemed to gain confidence when told of how they could come in to practice. A few pairs or groups could be seen talking amongst themselves, planning when to come in and practice for the upcoming test.

The bell rang a moment later, and most of the students began to filter out once more. Chariot’s eyes locked onto one of her students, who was moving a little more slowly to pack up. She would have to do.

Hannah, after hearing the bell, began her work of organizing her material for the walk back to her dorm. But she stopped, in order to gaze at a photograph she’d slipped into the pages of a book she’d been reading in her spare time. For a moment, she paused, staring at it, not caring for the waning voices of her classmates as they left. Even Barbara and Diana had already begun to leave, having not noticed how distracted Hannah was.

Of all people...Why did it have to be you?

That peace didn’t last long however.

“nd...Miss England?” She heard a voice calling to her, and snapped her head in it’s direction, only being able to find Professor Du Nord, standing by her desk with a smile. Upon seeing that she now had Hannah’s attention, she gave the girl a wave. “Could you see me for a second?”

Hannah scrambled to gather up her things, slipping the photo back into her book before placing the paperback on top of several textbooks and notebooks that were used for her classes. Barbara and Diana, from the doorway, bid her farewell, telling her that they’d meet her back at their room later, as they and members of Red Team were meeting up for a mid-afternoon study session. After completing the creation of her small pile of supplies, she walked down the stairs, still trying to push the thoughts of the photograph’s subject out of her mind.

“Hannah, I could use your help with something, if it isn’t too much trouble.” Chariot started, shifting some papers on her desk. Hannah gave her professor a smile, adjusting the way she was carrying her supplies.

“It would be no trouble at all, Profesor Du Nord, what is it?” She asked. Chariot turned to face her. “Oh, it’s just some tutoring for a student in another class. She’s having some trouble, and this next test could really help her grade if she does well.” Chariot explained. “And, as a bonus, there’ll be some extra credit in it for you.” She followed up, hoping to convince Hannah with the promise of a reward.

Hannah nodded, understanding where this was going. She held her tongue for a second, repressing the urge to make a disparaging comment about whoever it was who needed help. “Sure! I’d love to help.” She’d managed after a second of silence.

Chariot’s shoulders slumped, as if a weight had been taken off of them. “That’s great! I set you and her up for 4PM tomorrow!” She chirped, turning around and smiling at Hannah. “That’s all I’ve got to talk to you for now, so you can go to your next class.”

Hannah arched a brow, confused as to why Chariot was trying to get her out of the class so soon. “That’s it? Aren’t you gonna tell me about who I’m helping?” She asked.

Chariot placed a finger on her chin. “I can’t remember their name off the top of my head,” She began, not noticing Hannah’s increasingly deadpan expression. “I’m sure it’ll come to me later. You know how it is, there’s a lot of students during the day, I can’t remember them all.”

Hannah wasn’t buying it, but it seemed that Chariot wasn’t going to disclose this information unless it was convenient, so she decided to take her leave. “Very well. I’ll be sure to help them come tomorrow.” And with that, she turned around and walked away, back up the stairs of the room and towards the door.

It was certainly suspicious, how much Chariot seemed to dodge the question. Hannah was certain that she wasn’t telling her about who she was helping for a reason.

After all, Chariot was an awful liar.

\---------------

Amanda flopped into her bed, a groan forcing its way out of her as she made contact with her pillow. The noise continued for a few seconds after, muffled by the object. Though it was enough to attract the attention of her teammates.

Jasminka bit the bullet first, putting down the bag of crisps she was eating to speak. “Is something the matter Amanda?” She asked, a somewhat worried tone of voice carried across in her words. Amanda rolled over, looking over at Jasminka, who was sitting at the team’s desk at the center of the room, pushed over to the wall. 

“Yeah, there is something the matter!” Amanda said, raising her hands to the air as if to gesture her displeasure at the situation. “I’m failing that Clairvoyance class, again!” Crossing her arms, Amanda huffed, trying to think of a way out of her current predicament.

“Again? Oh, that’s terrible!” Jasminka said, empathizing with her teammate as best she could. It was no secret that Amanda’s grades were often awful, usually being the worst in the Green Team’s group of friends.Well, Akko’s had a tendency to be even worse, but still... This seemed to be one of the few times Amanda seemed to actually care, which was a rare occurrence in and of itself.

“And that’s not all!” Amanda continued, throwing her legs over the side of the bed as she sat up. “Chariot’s set me up for some study-buddy session, and didn’t even tell me who it is I’m gonna be studying with!” Her voice clearly illustrated her exasperation at that little detail, as if the Professor was going behind her back for some reason. “For all I know she could be pairing me up with Cavendish, or one of her two harpies...”

From her position opposite Amanda, Constanze rolled her eyes, returning to her work of finishing another few modifications to her latest iteration of Stanbot. Satisfied with her work so far, she powered the robot on, and it sprung to life, sitting up on the bed next to its owner. Constanze then picked up her small chalkboard, as well as a piece of chalk, and quickly wrote something down.

“About time.”

Amanda shot a glare at Constanze, keeping her arms crossed. “And what’s that supposed to mean?” Constanze raised a brow at this, as if wondering how Amanda failed to see what she was trying to say. Or write, in her case. She turned the board around, the sound of chalk tapping against the board as a new message was made, which was shown to Amanda a second later, the new one under the old one.

“It’s an opportunity to improve your awful grades.”

“Hey, they’re not that bad!” Amanda said, trying to appear dignified, before noticing Constanze’s doubting stare. “Okay yeah, they’re bad.” She admitted as she deflated.

“Perhaps you should give it a try then?” Jasminka reasoned, having already helped herself to a few chips during Constanze and Amanda’s little interaction. “After all, what’s the worst that could happen?” Jasminka implored hopefully, giving Amanda a smile.

Amanda cast a sideways glance at her, deadpan expression clear as day on her face. “The partner hates me. Or they refuse to help me. Or they sabotage me. Or outright refuse to help. Or any number of things that can go wrong where I’m involved.” The resignation to a presumed fate that made its way into Amanda’s voice made Jasminka frown. It never felt right to see her friends like this, especially when it seemed so out of character for Amanda to be this dejected about something. 

A second later, Amanda was greeted by the sight of an unopened bag of chips, courtesy of Jasminka, who had retrieved them from the Green Team’s secret stash of contraband food they’d been building over the course of the school year. Amanda accepted it, opening it up as Jasminka returned to her seat. 

Stanbot kicked it’s legs on the bed, watching the trio around them, and thankfully remaining silent. Constanze made a small noise, erasing the old messages from the chalkboard, and writing a new one in its place.

“It’s worth a try.”

Amanda sighed, placing a few chips into her mouth and chewing as she thought of a response. She had one once she was finished. “I guess you’re right,” She relented, giving in to the demands of the duo. (Or was it trio if you counted Stanbot?)

Jasminka clapped in delight from her chair, and Constanze gave her a look of smug victory from her chair. Amanda just rolled her eyes, digging into the bag of chips a bit more as she shook her head slightly. “It’s just a study session, it’s not like I’m gonna be chasing after some missile again, eh?” She said with her mouth full, leaning back into the wall as the three of them exchanged knowing glances.

It was strange, really, how much had changed at Luna Nova since the Missile Incident, and how little had changed at the same time. Sure, they were hailed as heroes when they came back from their adventure, but the fame hadn’t lasted particularly long. It was back to the same old hustle and bustle of classes, homework, quizzes, tests, and Nelson telling her to stop flying so recklessly. Yet at the same time, they’d all grown closer, those that went through it that is. The Red and Green teams were practically inseparable whenever they were together, and the Blue Team, thanks in large part to Diana’s involvement, was becoming part of the group as well. Then again, having Barbara and Hannah around was a can of worms in and of itself. A can of worms that she was surprised to find wasn’t nearly as explosive as she’d thought.

It was then that Amanda noticed her bag was empty. Balling it up, she tossed it at the garbage can by the door. It bounced off the wall and into the plastic covered basket. She then stood up, tossing on her student’s cloak while making for the door.

“I’m heading out, gonna ride my broom for a bit.” She explained, only receiving nods from the other two. “See you guys at Dinner.” Grabbing her broom from its position by the door, she was out in less than a second, the thick slab of wood clicking behind her as it closed. 

\--------------

Hannah sat on her bed, letting out a dejected sigh as she stared at the photograph in her hands. She thought it was silly, really. That she hadn’t noticed who the subject of the photograph was sooner. They were practically staring her in the face day in, day out. They pranked her and Barbara, as well as the rest of their friends, almost every day, in some way. 

Sliding the photo back into the book she’d been reading, Hannah closed it, laying it on her nightstand for later. 

That was another silly thing, using the photo as a bookmark. She would have preferred to put it in a sleeve, or container of some kind, where the photo would not be harmed by the elements. If she didn’t, the backing would peel off, and the image would decay until the contents within were wiped away, defeating the purpose of taking the photograph in the first place.

Or, she would have put it away for safekeeping, had the contents not had this confusing, infuriating effect on her. So the photo continued to be a bookmark, where Hannah could keep looking at it to her heart’s content. And to keep it away from prying eyes as well…

Speaking of potentially prying eyes, the door to the Blue Team’s dorm creaked as it opened, and in stepped Diana and Barbara, both quiet as they entered. Diana made her way to the desk in the far corner and disappeared behind the bookshelves separating the beds from the desk, seemingly content to study for the couple hours they had before dinner. While Barbara gravitated towards her best friend, taking a seat on her bed, which was only separated from Hannah’s by the small nightstand. 

Hannah felt so relieved that she put away the photo when she did, and the same could be said for her decision to return to the dorm before the others. The thought of anyone, and especially Barbara of all people seeing that picture, terrified her to no end. She could only imagine her shame if that were to happen, as well as Barbara’s disappointment in her. Not to mention Diana’s…

“Hannah? Are you okay? You seem upset about something.” Barbara spoke, concern worming its way into her voice at every word. Hannah was snapped from her thoughts as her friend spoke, having to mentally catch up in order to give a timely response. “Y-Yeah...I was thinking, that’s all.” She spoke, clearly panicked despite her best attempts at hiding it.

Barbara didn’t seem convinced, continuing to look into her best friend’s eyes with an intensity that made Hannah sure she was looking for something, anything, to get her to fess up. “Thinking about what?” Barbara responded, brushing a hand through her black hair, before picking up her latest copy of Nightfall from the pile of books that she had placed on her bed. ‘I still can’t believe I didn’t notice her reading those before.’ Hannah thought to herself.

Hannah rubbed the back of her head, recalling the conversation she had earlier. “Professor Chariot has asked me to provide some tutoring for a student in one of her other classes,” She started, gesturing to the notes she had laid out on her own bed. “Apparently that student is struggling quite badly, and desperately needs the help. Why she asked me, and not someone else, is beyond me.” She waved her hand in dismissal of the idea, before adding: “She did mention I’ll get extra credit for it, at least.”

Across from her on the bed, Barbara sat with a hand on her chin, mulling over the information presented to her, before giving a hum. “Well, it does seem like a good deal for her to make. Do you know who it is you have to tutor?” She asked, only to earn a shrug from Hannah, who looked right back at her.

“That’s the thing,” Hannah scratched her head, pondering. “Professor Chariot avoided the topic of who I was helping at every chance, or even outright ignoring it at times.” Barbara tilted her head at this information, arching one eyebrow. “It’s curious behavior, I know.” Hannah finished.

“It is indeed.” Barbara replied, before her posture relaxed. “Regardless, extra credit is extra credit, you should go through with it anyway.” Barbara then swung her legs onto her bed, cracking open the thick novel. “Besides, what could be the worst that could happen?” She took out the bookmark, about ready to begin reading. Only to be interrupted by a gasp, which caused her to see the almost disgusted look on Hannah’s face.

“The worst that could happen?” She almost shrieked, prevented only by the presence of an unseen yet ever present Diana. “Barbs, I could end up with some simpleton! Someone who couldn’t be bothered to pay attention in class, let alone to me during a study session!” Hannah’s voice contained a mix of venom and exasperation. “I could end up with someone like O’Neill!” That sentence was barely spoken above a whisper, as if Hannah didn’t want to be caught saying that name aloud.

Barbara rolled her eyes at this. “Hannah, you don’t know that! For all you know, you could get someone who’s smart but is struggling a bit.” Barbara laid the book on her chest, looking over at Hannah. “And besides, even if you do get O’Neill, what makes you think it would be so bad?” Hannah only returned the eyeroll at this, letting out a groan.

“You know how she is, Barbs. She blatantly disregards the rules, has a complete lack of caring for common decency, and will not stop performing pranks on me and others no matter how much I tell her to cease that behavior! Not to mention-” Hannah would have kept on ranting about how much she hated Amanda O’Neill, had she not caught the smug look Barbara was giving her. “What’s that for?” Hannah asked, feeling her cheeks heat up slightly as the connotations of her little rant caught up with her. 

Barbra’s grin widened as she noticed the increasingly sheepish look on Hannah’s face. “Oh nothing. I couldn’t help but notice how much you loved talking about Amanda.” Barbara spoke, before letting out a giggle as Hannah’s face became as red as her hair. “You sound like you’ve got a crush on her…” Barbara closed the book and rolled onto her side, giving Hannah that same smug look the entire time.

“I do not! I cannot believe that you could ever insinuate such a thing!” Hannah replied as she crossed her arms, her voice filled with venom once more as she spoke. “As if I’d ever have a thing for that degenerate!” That last comment being spoken with as much hate for a person Hannah could muster.

“Hannah, dear.” A voice spoke from across the room.

Both Hannah and Barbara turned to face the source of the voice, finding Diana standing by the bookshelves, having gotten up to interject into their conversation. She gave Hannah a sympathetic look, followed by a soft, understanding smile.

“While I do believe there is some merit behind your fears of this partner, I also believe that most of them are unfounded,” She began, walking towards the duo in her usual, measured gait. “After all, there is no telling of just who this person could be. And even if it were to be someone similar to Amanda,” Diana came to a stop in front of Hannah’s bed. “I have full confidence in your ability to keep her focused and on track.”

Barbara then beamed at Hannah. “After all, you’ll never know until you try!” Hannah nodded at the wise words, surprised that they came from Barbara of all people.

“Is that another Nightfall reference?” She asked hesitantly, raising a brow.

Barbara’s eyes darted away from Hannah, her grin becoming more nervous than anything. “How’d you know?” She asked, scratching the back of her head. Hannah rolled her eyes, groaning loudly. “You’ve got a volume of it in your hands, dummy.” Hannah deadpanned, before standing up, stretching out as Barbara blushed slightly at the comment, unconsciously hiding it behind her back. 

Hannah was a little surprised when Barbara admitted her love of the Nightfall series. Especially because, well, they knew practically everything about each other! From their favorite foods all the way down to the people they were interested in. But to learn that Barbara had an interest that she’d hadn’t told Hannah about, and that she’d been actively hiding it from her, well it just about broke her heart. Barbara had admitted how scared she was of admitting this to Hannah, especially from the duo’s past insults directed at Nightfall fans.

‘What a fool I was back then.’ Hannah though, grimacing internally as she glanced at the book in her friend’s hands. It was the latest volume, just came out a few months ago. ‘I don’t deserve her, nor…’ Her gaze turned towards her own book, and the photograph just barely poking out, it’s contents covered. ‘Her.’

“Listen, I’m just going to go out for a bit.” Hannah said, getting her jacket off of it’s rack and onto her shoulders as she made for the door. “I need to consider this for a time. And girls,” She stopped at the door, facing the both of them. “Thank you for your concern.” And with that, she turned and left, but not before the other two caught a glimpse of the genuine smile on her face after she spoke.

The room was silent for a few seconds, Diana and Barbara staying in their respective thoughts, before sharing a smile with one another.

“She’s not particularly good at hiding the fact that she has a crush.” Diana shook her head, exasperation clear in her voice. “Especially that she has a crush on Amanada of all people.” She crossed her arms, before moving towards the Blue Team’s allowed supply of tea.

It was an open secret between the Red, Blue, and Green teams that Hannah was crushing on Amanda, despite her fierce disagreement. Everyone noticed the dejected sighs coming from Hannah as she stared at the photo she kept in her book. And everyone noticed the glances thrown in Amanda’s direction when Hannah thought she wasn’t looking. Whether Amanda had noticed recently was of debate between the three teams, though for the most part they agreed that Amanda was oblivious.

“She has been defensive about the whole thing,” Barbara responded, opening her book and searching for where she’d left off. “Always insisting that she’s focused on Amanada because of how much she hates her, or some other excuse.” Barbara then sighed. “I don’t know what I can do to help her…”

Diana returned a minute later with her tea. “I suppose we will have to let it play out then, let Hannah work out her feelings on her own, but give her support if or when she needs it.” She slowly took a sip of her tea while Barbara nodded.

“And here’s to hoping Amanda isn’t as completely oblivious as she seems.” She responded, before glancing up at Diana. “It’s weird really, Amanda’s actually been trying to study, and do well in her classes.”

“So I’ve heard. It’s quite a change in character.” Diana placed her tea down and looked at Barbara. “I’m curious as to the cause of such behavior.”

Barbara’s face gained an insidious smirk, hidden behind her novel. “I don’t suppose that would have anything to do with your time spent with Akko, would it?” Her tone of voice as she spoke was filled with mirth.

Diana blushed bright red, and struggled to think of a response for a second. “B-Barbara! We’re...It’s not like that!”

Barbara’s laugh filled the room for a long second, the book pressed against her chest as she quieted to a few giggles.

“Sure Diana, sure.”


	2. Potatoes and Cabbages

“Potatoes? Again? Does this school buy anything else?”

Akko slammed her tray onto the table as she sat down, a pout already on her face from the now infamous lack of variety when it came to food at Luna Nova. Lotte jumped from the noise, before offering Akko a nervous smile.

“W-Well at least we’re getting our starch!” She chuckled nervously after saying that, noticing how little of an effect this was having on her friend’s mood, who only groaned. Akko shoved a hash brown into her mouth, chewing as she mentally lamented her inability to replace the hash brown with something more flavored. Like a tart, for instance.

Across from her, Sucy quietly nibbled at wedges of potato, which had a variety of mushrooms from her stash sprinkled on them to improve the taste. “Akko’s right, all this school has in stock is an endless supply of potatoes.” She said, glancing over at Lotte’s helping of mashed potatoes. “You’d think that they could afford something else, especially now that magic is in high demand.” She followed flatly.

It was true, magic industries of all kinds had boomed ever since the missile incident, with many a pretty penny being made off the public’s newfound desire for all things magical. Luna Nova itself was predicting record high enrollment numbers in a decade for the next school year, with hundreds of new prospective students seeking access to the now famous institution.

This new ‘Second Golden Age’ of magic had even affected the very mood of the school. While before there was a sense of doom and gloom, that the school was on its last legs despite the attempts of the teachers to hide that from their students. But now, there was a feeling throughout the grounds of Luna Nova, that things were looking up for everyone. A great sense of hope and anticipation of what could come next had settled into the consciousness of the students and faculty.

So, then you might understand Akko’s frustration about having to eat nothing but potato-based foods for the however many times of the week it was. It was only Tuesday.

Akko tossed another hash brown into her mouth before groaning again. “Ugh!” 

As much as Akko wanted to continue to complain, she was interrupted by the arrival of the Green Team to the conjoined table. Snapping from her snippy mood, she looked up at the approaching trio. 

Jasminka and Amanda both greeted her with smiles, setting their trays down in front of them as they sat down. Constanze meanwhile set hers down and laid her head on the table, a disgruntled expression on her face as she glared at her teammates. 

Akko was about to ask about this behavior before Amanda patted Constanze’s head, much to her annoyance. “This one thought it’d be a good idea to pull an all nighter in her workshop,” Amanda started, Constanze pushing the hand off of her head. “So she only got about an hour of sleep when we woke her up.” Amanda popped a hash brown into her mouth and kicked her feet up on the table. 

Constanze continued to sulk, silently bemoaning her teammates waking of her when they knew she’d worked throughout the night on another one of her inventions. Stanbot tugged at its creator’s leg, pointing up at the table. Constanze picked the tiny robot up and set it down on top of the table, where it began taking in its surroundings, and analyzing all of the items around it. Constanze smiled at her creation, before quietly falling asleep again, in spite of the noise around her.

Smirking slightly, Amanda shook her shoulder a few times, testing for a response. Nothing. “Wow, she’s really out. Guess we’re stuck here for a while until she wakes up.” Once she received a questioning look from Akko and Lotte for the second time that day, Amanda sighed. “Hey, be my guest if you wanna wake her, just don’t be surprised if she starts waving a gun around.” Jasminka and her shared a giggle, remembering the few heart attacks Constanze had given them in the past.

“Just like she did to me when I was in her lab!” Was what Akko tried to say, but due to the mouthful of her, and also Lotte’s, food clogging her speech, it came out like “Jusht liek schee did to me when I wasch in her lab!” And would have splattered Sucy with bits of potato, has she not held up her now empty tray as a shield, her emotionless expression not shifting at all, seemingly used to this by now. 

Jasminka then finished with her food, before turning to Amanda. “Don’t you have that study session today?” She said, to which Amanda nodded, scratching the back of her head while chewing absentmindedly on a french fry. She then explained the situation to Akko, who by now had figured out that speaking with a full mouth was a good way to induce choking, and was listening through starch filled hacking fits.

“So, you’re going to some study session for once? What brought this on?” Akko asked, confused as to why Amanda’s usual disregard for all things academic was changing. Normally when it came to their classes, Amanda did the bare minimum, which still landed her better grades than Akko, much to her annoyance. 

Amanda offered little more than a sheepish grin. “Well, I guess I’ve gotten kinda tired of scraping by, yeah? Figured I may as well get my grades up if I don’t want to get thrown out.” The group got the sense that she wasn’t telling the whole truth, but didn’t bother pressing her on it, most simply glad to see their friend getting her academic act together for once. Except Sucy, she didn’t care. 

After that, conversation settled down between the two teams, as they both dug into what was left of their respective meals, and engaged in idle conversation.

“So Lotte, I heard you and Professor Badcock started a Nightfall club, how is that?” Jasminka implored.

“It’s going great! It’s just me, Barbara, and Professor Badcock now, but we plan on seeing if anyone else would like to join!” Lotte beamed, happy to divulge information about her favorite fandom, and her new favorite club. “We plan on cosplaying at the con this year, I’ll do my Bella cosplay from last year, Professor Badcock will be improving on her clock tower, and Barbara will-”

“Be dressed as the Alica to your Bella!” Barbara interjected, sliding into her seat next to Lotte.

The Blue Team had arrived to the table, trays filled with potatoes.

\------------

Reclining in her seat, Amanda watched the rest of the table with benign interest. 

Barbara and Lotte were going at it with their increasingly infamous Nightfall sessions, discussing plans for their respective cosplays, going over which of their favorite chapters to use, how much it would cost, and just generally gushing to each other about their shared interest in the romantic series. 

Amanda swore her teeth were rotting from the amount of fluff those two were producing. She’d considered reading those novels once or twice, to see what all the hype was about, but she couldn’t see herself fangirling like Barbara or Lotte were. She couldn’t really see herself fangirling about anything at all, to be honest.

Next to them, Diana was attempting to get Akko to agree to a study session of her own, for Magic Linguistics. Akko seemed more interested in comparing a cabbage found nearby to Diana’s hair, much to her amusement, or lack there-of.

Sucy chimed in. “One of these days, you might be able to turn her hair into a cabbage for real.” She told Akko with her traditional sly grin. “Then again, that might take you awhile.”

Akko’s head practically whipped over to Sucy, a challenging look in her eyes.

_Oh boy, this is gonna be good._

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Akko cried out, with Diana silently comparing the vegetable to her hair while Akko wasn’t paying attention. Sucy simply kept on smiling.

“Well, you’ve still got a lot to learn, especially now that your magic is finally coming back.” Sucy responded, while Akko stammered while trying to find a response. “Speaking of, you;ve got a lot of catching up to do.” Sucy continued.

One might think that Akko would be mad from comments like this, or at least far more agitated than she appeared to be. After all, she would have every right to, after losing her magic (without her knowledge), being made fun of for her failure to perform any magic-related task as a result, and finding out that her idol had been the cause of all that pain to begin with. Amanda supposed that if she were in a similar situation, she would be the most bitter person the world had ever seen.

It was surprising then, that Akko showed no signs of such bitterness, nor hate, nor despair, anger, or anything of that sort. She had forgiven Chariot, had in all but spoken word forgiven Croix, and had forgiven the many, many bullies that had tormented her and the Red Team, including Hannah and Barbara. 

Hannah then appeared by Akko’s shoulder. “Though first you’ll need to get your broom more than a few meters off the ground!” Her tease came with a smug grin, clearly taking joy in Akko’s reaction, which was to cross her arms and huff, admitting defeat. 

_Speak of the Devil and she appears, I guess._

Standing up from her seat with a sly grin, Amanda meandered over to Akko, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Hey, I’m sure you’ll figure it out at some point. Sure, it might take a few days,” At these words, Akko perked up a bit at the supposedly kind tone.

“Or it might take a few years!” Hannah and Amanda devolved into a fit of laughs and giggles as Akko’s face dropped back down into agitation once more. “You two are so mean…” She groaned, resting her head on the table, while Diana was busy asking herself if her hair really was similar to this cabbage.

Amanda glanced over to Hannah as they calmed down from their laughter fit. 

_She’s cute...Wait, did I really think that?_

Amanda’s grin faltered for a moment, before coming back in full force. Shaking Akko’s shoulder a bit, she continued to laugh. She continued to look over at Hannah, a small smile on her face, before forcing her gaze back to Akko. 

“Don’t worry ‘bout it too much Akko,” Amanda said, trying to reassure her friend. “I’m sure that you’ll catch up with us soon.” Hannah joined in after her. “And it’s not like Amanda’s been setting a high bar for you to get over!” To that, Amanda rolled her eyes, smirking. 

Diana, having recently finished what seemed to be a food-induced existential crisis, rejoined the conversation, placing the offending vegetable back on the table. “Akko, I don’t believe you answered my question, about whether or not you wanted to study with me for Magic Linguistics. After all-” Diana was about to say that it was one of Akko’s worse subjects, but was interrupted.

“Of course! I’d love to!” Akko cheered, practically standing up from where she sat at the table to say this. Amanda and Hannah giggled amongst themselves at the implications they were conjuring between them. Akko turned to face the duo, a confused look having swept across, and taken the place of, the previously enamored one.

“What’s so funny?” Akko asked, while Diana tried her best to hide her blush, having come to the same conclusion that Amanda and Hannah had. After a couple more seconds of laughter, they finally spoke up.

“Well, we thought it would be a good idea to wish you luck with your date!” Amanda said, both she and Hannah devolving into another fit of laughter as they watched Akko practically leap out of her skin from this information.

“WHAAAAT!?” She screeched, Diana’s face turning bright red while Akko panicked. “I-...We-...It isn’t...It’s just to study! R-Right Diana?” She stammered, only earning them both an even louder chorus of laughs from the other two, Amanda holding her stomach from laughing so hard, while Hannah was struggling to keep herself composed.

Diana, after a few silent seconds, that to her felt like hours, nodded. “That is correct. We are simply going over the material of the class together, and trying to get Akko caught up with her studies.” Her voice by now holding it’s usual stoicism. “That is all.” She added coldly.

By now, Amanda and Hannah were beginning to calm down from their fit of laughter, with Amanda gripping Hannah’s shoulder to steady herself as she recovered. The two’s eyes locked for a moment, during which Hannah had to resist the urge to scream. Though she didn’t know if it was out of delight or from how much Barbara was going to use this as leverage for the absolutely ridiculous idea that she would have a crush on Amanda.

Yes...it was a purely ridiculous idea.

Amanda quietly stared at Hannah with a dumb grin on her face, oblivious to her friends for half a second, simply taking in the sight of the girl in front of her.

_She’s got fangs...they do look pretty cute on her…_

It was then she realized she had a golden opportunity.

“Hey Hannah, your face is looking pretty red, something wrong?” She teased, shaking Hannah’s shoulder while watching her face. “Jealous of the lucky couple?” If Amanda’s grin could get any wider, it most certainly would right now.

Hannah’s mental screaming crescendoed, trying to prevent herself from focusing on that stupid, sly, lovely grin, and many other thoughts that could be considered unbecoming of her.

“You’re even more red! What, is there a lucky guy you have your eyes on?” Amanda spoke with smug satisfaction, her grin equally smug as she stared Hannah down. “Or maybe you’d like to swing another way for once?” 

The blush on her face only deepened at this, her speech reduced to nothing more than stutters and sputters, struggling to come up with a response to shut Amanda up before Barbara could use this to interrogate her later.

“Oooh, you’re getting flustered! Have I hit a nerve, Miss England?” Amanda continued, enjoying watching Hannah become a stuttering, blushing mess. “Do you have a sweetheart?” She grinned devilishly as Hannah’s mouth hung open, still trying to formulate a response.

Amanda would have continued with her teasing, had Diana not stood up and cleared her throat.

“Hannah, Barbara,” She started, the redness on her own cheeks having long since faded. “I believe we were in agreement about returning to our dorm to prepare for our classes today, correct?” She looked over to her two teammates, earning nods from both of them. Barbara and Lotte exchanged farewells, promising to continue their discussion of cosplays and Nightfall later.

Meanwhile, Hannah had to practically force herself to escape from Amanda, as well as trying to keep her thoughts from descending into a photograph-induced panic. She gave the group her best smug grin, and a small wave of her hand as she departed, hoping that none of them picked up on her momentary lack of composure. 

After bidding their farewells, the Blue Team departed for their dorm, and the eyes of the Red and Green Teams, minus the still sleeping Constanze, drifted over to Amanda.

“What?”

\------------

“Admit it! You’ve got a crush on Hannah!”

“I do not!”

Amanda kicked her feet up on the table, placed her hands on the back of her head, and closed her eyes out of irritation, trying her best to ignore Akko’s attempts at interrogation.

Akko slammed her hands down on the table, trying to act intimidating, but only succeeded in waking Constanze, who woke with a start from the commotion. Her head snapped towards Akko, her grumpy expression having its intended effect as Akko began to apologize profusely, trying to smooth things over, while Constanze was content to sit there and absentmindedly eat some food the others had gotten for her, thinking over projects she wanted to work on today.

Amanda grinned as she overheard all of this, enjoying not being grilled about her supposed feelings for a little bit, in addition to the general chaos that seemed to follow Akko everywhere she went.

_Never a dull moment, huh._

Jasminka spoke up next to her. “Amanda, you know we’d support you if you did have a crush. So don’t worry about what we think.” Opening her eyes to the remark, she saw Jasminka’s gentle smile, and returned it to the best of her ability.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it Jas, and besides, I do not have a crush on Hannah England.” Amanda said flatly, not wanting to encourage further discussion of this. Not that it would seemingly stop her.

“What makes you say that?” Jasminka responded, her expression becoming one of both concern and curiosity as she ceased her munching for the time being. Amanda sighed, realizing that there wasn’t anyway out of this conversation without it getting awkward.

“For starters, why would I have a crush on her?” Amanda started, crossing her arms. “She’s a stuck up brat, who thinks she’s the Nine’s gift to the world, while practically worshipping the ground Diana walks on.” As she began her tirade, Amanda hadn't noticed Akko’s apologies to Constanze stopping, nor the group’s collective staring at her as she gave them the answers they so desired.

Amanda continued. “She’s a bully, a jerk, who thinks of no one except herself and those above her. She talks to you in a way that makes you feel small, pathetic, and worthless. Even her laugh gets on my nerves, since it's then that you see how cute she is, sometimes she has really genuine smiles that brighten up the whole room, while other times her smiles are just smug or for show.” Another thing she hadn’t noticed was her tirade was slowly turning into more of a ramble, as her scowl became more of a grin.

“And she is just so cute sometimes! Makes you wanna go in for a kiss even though you know it’d be an awful idea, just because you wanna know what it’s like to kiss someone like her...” Amanda grin widened as she went on, tone having completely shifted to one of lighthearted pining. “And besides, why would she ever want to go out with you? You’re not even close to being her type, so no matter how much you try, it may as well be wishful thinking…” She drifted off with a wide smile on her face, seemingly going into thought before opening her eyes. 

Her mouth opened a second after, supposedly to tell Jasminka something else, but then it closed. She noticed that everyone at the table was looking at her, looks of blank shock on their faces. Amanda went white as her mouth opened and closed several times, as if trying to find the words that would get her out of this, but finding nothing. 

Akko was the first to speak up, squealing in delight. “I knew it! You do have a crush on Hannah!” She said, pointing at Amanda with a smile on her face.

Lotte joined in, sharing her glee. “Oh, they’d be so cute together! I totally ship this!” Amanda’s pale face turned bright red as the full weight of what she said caught up to her. She sat up in her chair, placing her head in her hands.

Akko got in her face, trying to encourage her. “You should ask her out!” She said, voice filled with her usual brand of enthusiasm. “There’s no way she would refuse!” Amanda looked away, not sure of what to say for a few seconds.

“I-I don’t know Akko.” She eventually got out, as her gaze turned downward at the table. Akko cocked her head to the side, confused as to why Amanda’s normal confidence was missing here. 

“How do I know that I’m not just gonna make a fool of myself?” She rambled on, running her hands back through her hair. “She could do so much better than me…” She said more downtrodden, shaking her head as if trying to rid the thoughts she had for the other girl from her head. 

Jasminka placed a sweet in front of Amanda, which she took without a second thought. Akko looked at Jasminka, wondering what she was planning on doing or saying, but stayed silent.

“Amanda, you should ask her to go on a date with you. After all, you’d have little to lose, and it’ll get this weight off your chest too.” She said sympathetically, her genuine smile returning, drawing a similar one out of Amanda. “It pains us to see you so troubled by this, so please consider at least explaining your feelings to Hannah.”

Amanda nodded, having been put at ease by Jasminka’s words, save for one thing. “But where would I tell her this? Doing it out in public is probably a bad idea, and I don’t think we have anything planned like a movie night or something.” Jasminka’s smile didn’t waver in the slightest, continuing to support her friend.

“I’m sure you two will have time to explain your feelings soon enough.” She said simply, with Amanda nodding, yet still confused as to what she might mean. 

“Okay, and Jas?” 

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

Her smile grew a bit. “You’re very welcome.”

Their little moment was interrupted by Akko’s sniffles as she tried, and failed, to contain her crying. 

“Akko? Why are you crying?” Jasminka asked, Akko having to suppress a few sniffles to force out an answer.

“It’s so beautiful!” She cried out, before continuing to sob, earning an eye roll from Amanda as she reclined in her chair once more. “You’re such a sap.” She complained.

“Said the person who just gushed about having a crush!”

“That is completely different from what you’re crying about!”

While Akko and Amanda began to argue the semantics over who was more sappy, Sucy looked at Lotte, noticing how she was staring off into space, eyes filled with wonder, a wide smile on her face. She seemed deep in thought about something, and Sucy was willing to bet it was ‘shipping’ related, or whatever she called it. Not that she cared.

Raising her hand, Sucy waved it in front of Lotte’s face a few times, but received no response. Looking around the table, her eyes met Constanze’s, who was also perplexed by Lotte’s current situation. The two shrugged, before going back to watching the argument at hand.

\------------

“Wait, could you run that past me one more time?” 

Chariot sighed, brushing her hair as she finished getting ready for her day of teaching the many pupils of Luna Nova. She turned to her crystal ball, displayed on it was the face of the person with which she was communicating with, that face having an expression of confusion, mind at work piecing together the bits and pieces of information given to it, like a puzzle.

Croix.

If Chariot had to be honest, it was a miracle that Croix had gotten as light of a sentence as she had, serving time in a correctional facility while working on a cure for the Wagandea pollen, in addition to several new projects based on her old work prior to the Missile Incident. Improving the range and potency of her magic routers, for example, had been one of the more recent ones.

Compared to the alternative punishments Croix could have received, Chariot supposed that this may as well have been the lightest of them, considering that that she did manipulate the public, nearly started a war, and launched a weapon of mass destruction. Not to mention the numerous times she had attempted to harm her students, in addition to Chariot herself. 

Croix was still incarcerated however, and was only allowed limited communication with those that the staff of the correctional facility deemed trustworthy enough for such a purpose. Chariot, being a close friend, was allowed to receive a call from her at least once a week. Though this could change if Croix’s recent streak of good behavior was anything to go by, as well as her requests to gather supplies for her testing on the cure.

Speaking of communication, that was happening right now, as the two swapped stories from the previous week. Chariot’s having been filled with chaos and adventure, as had become increasingly common as of late, while Croix told her about her progress, and explaining facts and concepts that Chariot didn’t know anything about.

Though it seemed as if that shoe was on the other foot, as Croix was having Chariot tell this story for what seemed to be the third time this morning. Not that Chariot minded, it was always nice to be able to talk to Croix in a way that wasn’t dripping with hostile connotations.

“Again?” Chariot asked, wincing as a knot in her hair pulled free. “I’ll tell you again, I suppose.” A glance at the crystal ball showed that whatever Croix was doing, she wasn’t doing it, her attention being focused entirely on Chariot. 

“You remember Amanda, yes?” She started, wanting to get all the details this time around.

“Yes, she’s the one who fought one of my creations.” Chariot could hear the hesitation in Croix’s voice. “It possessed a suit of armor, which in turn latched itself onto a very angry young man she’d just defeated in a duel.” Croix paused for a second, as if trying to find the words for what she wanted to say next. “At the time, it was an amazing source of data on the power of anger.”

Chariot nodded, knowing that the events that had transpired between them and their students would be a particular sore spot in the future, though she hoped that this time Croix would be able to work past it.

“Anyway, do you also remember Hannah England?” 

“Not...particularly. I don’t remember interacting with her at all. The most I know about her is that she’s on Miss Cavendish’s team, and follows her like a lost puppy.” That last part was said nonchalantly, as if Croix was certain in it’s truth, which in Chariot’s mind, wasn’t exactly without merit, to say the least.

“Both of their teams, and Akko’s, have been trying to get them together recently.” Chariot began, working through the details as best she could. “Something about Hannah having a photo of Amanda, and being in denial about her feelings, while Amanda’s seemingly blind to Hannah’s affections, or at the very least isn’t aware of them like the others are.”

Croix nodded throughout, mulling over what was presented to her as Chariot told her. “But where do you come into this? Because this sounds like more of a student problem than anything.” Croix told her in a confused tone.

“I set them up on a date.”

There was nothing but silence on Croix’s end for a few moments.

“You what?”

“Okay, it’s not actually a date. It’s more like I set them up on a study session. Without them knowing that they’re going to be together.” Chariot gave a small, unconvincing laugh as the weight of having told another person rested on her. Croix simply nodded along.

“Wow, I’d say that’s unethical, but then again…” She looked around herself for effect, earning a small giggle from Chariot as Croix examined the bland grey walls of wherever she was calling from. “Yeah, I’m not what you would call an expert on morality.”

The two shared a smile for a few silent seconds, before Croix spoke up again. “But why’d you set them up together? That sounds like more of a plan Akko would come up with more than anything.”

Chariot mulled over the question in her head. “I guess it’s because I’m afraid of what Akko might do to them.” She shrugged. “For all I know, they’d lock them both in a room until they confessed, seeing as they’re blind to-” Chariot stopped, having noticed the expression Croix had on her face.

“What’s that look for?” Chariot asked, a little confused as to why Croix would be this smug, especially this early in the morning.

Croix rolled her eyes, maintaining a grin the whole way through. “It’s just that you’re missing the irony of the situation, is all.” She stated simply, as if that answer in and of itself was adequate.

“The irony of the situation?” Chariot’s brow furrowed, still confused.

Another eye roll. “People said the same thing about us back when we were students.” She began, looking off into space for a second. “That we were blind, or that I was in denial, or some other nonsense about us back then.” Her eyes regained focus, returning their gaze to Chariot. “Speaking of which, I’ve got news.”

Chariot perked up a bit. The information was something she’d already known, but now that she thought about it, had probably forgotten over the years. It felt like a lifetime had passed since their days as students. And it may as well have, with all that’s happened between them.

The news, however, took her attention, as Croix scratched the back of her head, seemingly searching for the correct words to say. Chariot anxiously awaited them.

“They’re letting me out next week.” 

A range of emotions exploded throughout Chariot. Confusion, surprise, and joy being the most prevalent. It was certainly a shock, for Croix to be released so soon, in any form of the word.

“It’s...not really a release.” Croix continued, looking away from Chariot. “I need to gather materials that are located in very remote areas of the world, for...you know.” Her voice drifted off, her tone becoming filled with a sense of shame.

“Oh, Croix…” Chariot offered the best smile she could at that moment, trying to comfort her friend despite the distance between them.

“After I gather those, I’ll be spending some time in Blytonbury, gathering more easily available supplies, and then getting some rest there as a ‘reward’, as they’re calling it. Something to do with good behavior.”

“I was just wondering...if you’d like to come visit me then.” Croix’s face grew more and more red with each passing word. “O-Or if you’d like me to visit you at Luna Nova, and I understand if you wouldn’t want to see me right now, because I made that promise about-” It was Croix’s turn to be cut off, this time by Chariot’s laughter.

Realizing that it might’ve been inappropriate, she stifled it with her hand. She couldn’t help it! Watching Croix get flustered that badly wasn’t something that happens often, if at all, so Chariot had learned to cherish them when they came. She offered Croix a genuine smile, wishing that she could talk to her in person, especially now that there was a golden opportunity in front of her.

“Croix, It’s alright! I’d love to visit you in Blytonbury. Do you have any idea of when you’ll be in town?” She said gleefully.

“Not precisely. It’ll take some time to gather all those materials I need. Could I call you beforehand instead? Let you know when I’ll be coming?” She asked hesitantly, the redness starting to fade from her cheeks a bit.

“Of course, if I don’t answer, I think you can leave a message on these things.” She said, referring to the crystal balls they were communicating on.

“Okay, and Chariot?”

“Yes, Croix?”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome Croix. I’m glad we can talk like this again.”

“Me too.” An alarm sounded in the distance, with Croix looking elsewhere in the room for a brief second. “I’m afraid my time’s up, goodbye, Chariot.” 

“Goodbye, Croix.” Chariot said, knowing that despite how much she wanted to continue the conversation, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

The feed to Croix’s side cut out, leaving only the blank surface of the crystal ball staring back at Chariot.

I’ll be waiting.

Behind her, Alcor squaked, gaining Chariot’s attention. He simply pointed with his beak at the nearby clock.

And Chariot nearly had a heart attack.

“I’m gonna be late to class!” She then stopped, laughing at herself. Earning a confused look from Alcor.

“How silly of me, I’m not a student anymore.” She relaxed in her seat.

And nearly had another heart attack.

“I’m the teacher!”

\------------

The classroom was quiet that morning as Hannah entered. There was no one else in the room but her at the moment, a fact made more evident as the door slid closed behind her. 

It was too early for most students to be here for classes, unless they had a question for the professor on the previous night’s homework, or wanted to be alone for a few minutes before everyone began filing in.

For Hannah, the answer was definitely the latter.

Though it was a surprise that the professor wasn’t already here. Professor Du Nord, much like most other professors, was usually here at this time making final preparations for lessons. But, Hannah wasn’t about to complain about the solitude, especially when it meant that she wouldn’t be bothered by anyone for a little while. 

Setting her books down in her team’s usual spot, she slumped in her seat, resting her head on the wooden surface of the desk. A groan escaped her, as her hands reached for one of the books near the top of the pile, feeling around for it until it was in her grasp. A quick glance to the side from where she rested revealed that she had grabbed the correct one. 

It was a relatively small book, no more than five hundred and twenty seven pages long (she’d gone ahead and looked out of curiosity), and had a yellow-orange cover, with no decorations or pictures or markings apparents on it, save for the front cover, which held the title. Flipping it open to where she’d left off, she pulled out her bookmark, which was a photograph she had become well acquainted with over the weeks since she’d gotten her hands on it.

_I told Akko I’d get rid of it, but here I am, staring at it like I’m some lovestruck schoolgirl._

The longer she stared the more muddled her thoughts became, losing track of time as she thought about her prior interactions with the photo’s subject.

_Why did I get so flustered? It’s never really happened before._

She thought more specifically about Amanda’s teasing, blushing lightly as she tried to rationalize why she reacted the way she did.

_“Have you got a sweetheart?” I most certainly do not! I’m Hannah England. I am not the kind of person to have such a pathetic thing as a ‘sweetheart’. Though they do sound nice...No, stop it._

Hannah’s thoughts were interrupted by the creak of a closing door behind her. Turning around in her seat, she saw a student approaching her, a poorly hidden look of concern on her face.

Barbara.

Hannah panicked, pushing the photograph back into the book and snapping it closed. She couldn’t let Barbara see it. That kind of embarrassment would kill her, she was sure of it. Barbara’s worried expression only deepened at this, wondering what had Hannah so on edge these days.

“You okay?” Barbara spoke first, voice filled with concern, taking her seat next to Hannah. This earned a nod from Hannah, who was doing her best to hide the redness on her cheeks for the second time that morning.

“Yes, why do you ask?” Hannah’s tone was trying to appear nonchalant, but instead she sounded like she had something to hide.

“Well, you’ve been acting...off, ever since breakfast. You wouldn’t talk to me or Diana, and after grabbing your stuff you just came here as fast as you could.” Barbara’s eyes rested on her friend, trying her hardest to get Hannah to tell her what was wrong, without outright stating it.

More students filed into the classroom, taking their seats, though still no Professor Du Nord in sight. A few students made the usual ‘fifteen minutes’ joke, though most conversation was speculation about what could be the cause of her current absence.

“Barbara, I’m fine. There’s nothing to worry about!” Hannah took Barbara’s hand, squeezing it slightly to try to convince her.

“Are you sure? Something seems to be worrying you.” At Barbara’s concerned tone, Hannah contemplated responding, but decided against it. She didn’t want to have Barbara laughing at her. Not over something as stupid as this. 

When Hannah failed to respond, Barbara’s expression deepened.

“Or is there someone I should be worried about instead?” Barbara’s emphasis on the ‘someone’ was not lost on Hannah, who internally was cursing Amanda as much as humanly possible.

“No, there’s no one at all. You know that I would tell you if there was, right?” Barbara still wasn’t convinced, tilting her head to the side a bit.

“But Amanda said-” Barbara would have continued, had Hannah not quickly interrupted with a wave of the hand. 

“Amanda is a liar. You know this. She’s nothing more than a nuisance to me.” Hannah continued to look at Barbara, seeing the worry in her eyes, meeting it with half hearted resolve in return.

“You sure?” Barbara asked, with Hannah nodding in response. “Okay then…” Barbara dropped the topic there, turning her attention to the front of the classroom, where there was still no Professor.

“Girls, I trust that all is well?” Diana asked them as she sat down at the table. Both Hannah and Barbara nodded, but were otherwise silent. Barbara cast another worried glance at Hannah, who’s attention was focused on the class material she was reading over.

Hannah tried to read the material, but the words seemed to blend together and evade her attention, sliding away as she was willed into a fantasy for a moment.

_She’s just so...her! It’s both infuriating and oddly endearing to me for some unknown reason. I wonder what a date with her would be like?_

Hannah closed her eyes, placing a hand on her chin, smiling to herself as she drifted off into an indulgent daydream. She stopped trying to fight her mind for a few moments, letting her denied dreams play out.

_Maybe a dance club...No! That nice cafe in Blytonbury. The same one me and Barbara visit once in a while. I’d wear that dress I wore to Andrew’s party, and she’d be in a dress shirt and pants._

Hannah let out a content sigh, catching the attention of Barbara, who was going over some notes with Diana before class started. If it started, that was. 

The two of them looked at Hannah, then at each other.

“She’s got it bad, doesn’t she?” Barbara whispered, earning a nod and sigh from Diana.

“I’m afraid so. Though she won’t admit it, she has a crush,” She whispered in return, turning her attention back to the front of the classroom. “And for all of our sakes, I hope she can cease her tiptoeing around the topic sooner rather than later. It’s quite tiresome.”

Barbara gave her a smirk. “As if you and Akko aren’t tiptoeing around each other enough already.”

For once, Diana was ready for that off handed remark. “I get the feeling we’ve been down this road before, so to speak.” 

“That’s because we have.”

Hannah, meanwhile, was deep in thought about her imaginary date.

_What if she wears a tie? Maybe I could pull on it when I kiss her? But what if she wears a dress? Honestly she could probably pull that off really well… ___

__The door to the classroom burst open, shattering Hannah’s daydream to equally dream-shaped pieces, and ending Diana and Barbara’s current bickering as to whether or not Diana was also in denial about any romantic affairs._ _

__Professor Du Nord bounded into the classroom, a heavy stack of books following her before collapsing onto her desk, making the already messy surface ever more cluttered. She turned to the class, breathing as if she’d just ran a mile._ _

__“S-Sorry for being late! I...got distracted this morning...with an errand!” She gave an unconvincing laugh to the class after huffing her way through that sentence. “Give me a minute...or three, then we can begin.” And with that, the professor fell into her chair, slumped over as she tried to relax. She earned it, having dashed from her room, down the tower, across campus, past a usually irate Finnelan, to her classroom._ _

__Hannah, having been woken from her daydream, decided to preoccupy her mind with a mental checklist of sorts, to keep it from doing...whatever it just did a few seconds ago. She had all of her materials, homework was done, as was her homework for her other classes. The next class was in about two hours._ _

___What other appointments do I have today? Lunch is at twelve, I have a quiz in Lukic’s at two, and that about it for classes. Nothing planned for three I believe, and four…_ _ _

___Oh…_ _ _

__Hannah took a look around her, scanning the room and the faces of her fellow classmates. They were all either chatting amongst themselves, going over notes, or sleeping. Nothing particularly interesting happening, save for a student in front of her explaining that the Green Team had hidden away Croix’s entire ramen stash in their dorm._ _

__After a couple of minutes of rest, Chariot stood up from her desk, walking to the center of the room to receive the attention of the class, who quieted down upon seeing their teacher’s recovery._ _

__“So,” Chariot began, eyes scanning the room, stopping for the briefest of moments on Hannah. “Who can tell me where we left off last time?” A bevy of hands rising up for her to choose from._ _

__As the selected student rose from their seat and began to speak, Hannah forced herself to relax deeper into her own._ _

___Why do I feel so...odd, when it comes to Amanda? There’s never been anything but resentment between us, until...Even then, why should I be attracted to her? Because she looks great in almost everything she wears? Because she can sometimes be genuinely funny and endearing?_ _ _

___Wait…_ _ _

___No! Stop thinking like that!_ _ _

__To her side, Barbara and Diana noticed Hannah attempting to suppress something akin to a dopey grin, though glimpses of it slipped through to them. Diana turned to Barbara, who simply shrugged._ _

__“She’s got it bad, what else can I say?”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not having this out when I said I wanted to! On the bright side, the google doc I keep all of this in is over 10000 words now!
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed anyway! Bye for now!


	3. Study Sessions and Confessions

Classes were boring. 

That much was always true.

Professor Finnelan droned on at the front of the room, her blackboard filled with green inscriptions of letters in ancient languages used by witches of long since gone generations. To anyone else, it would look like a series of random drawings. To a movie protagonist, it would look like a prophecy of doom.

To the students of Luna Nova, it was a simple translation of the school’s rules. 

So pretty much the same thing.

“The reason why we are teaching this in our curriculum now is after a particular...incident, where a lack of knowledge in dragon language nearly caused financial ruin for this institution.” Finnelan stopped for a moment, letting the information sink in, hoping that the students were at least paying attention.

“Luckily, a student was at least partially fluent in this language, and was able to inform us before we made any rash decisions.” Finnelan waved her wand slightly, adding a few more lines to the board. “Hence why we are teaching this, to avoid a repetition of this mistake in the future.”

From her seat, Amanda rolled her eyes. Finnelan was skipping over a lot of details from that night, like how the school had taken a loan from a dragon, couldn’t repay it, and how Diana managed to call that old firebreather’s bluff before he could convince Holbrooke to sell off the school to cover off the debt, which had long since been paid. She was willing to bet that she was doing so to save face, if anything else.

Amanda had the urge to call her out on it. Though getting on Finnelan’s bad side - scratch that, Finnelan’s worst side - wasn’t exactly something she wanted to do today. Especially considering the state of her grades as is.

Forcing herself from her reflections, she brought her attention back to the board, copying the inscriptions down and translating them, trying her best to follow along with Finnelan’s instructions as best she could. The Professor kept talking, giving a few helpful tips and tricks to help with understanding the text. 

Eventually, the bell rang, and most of the students filtered out, Amanda included, into the halls of the school, classes having ended for the day. The halls were buzzing with their usual conversation. Friends making plans, people rushing to wherever they were rushing too, all of the events that you could expect in a hallway of a school.

Walking back to her dorm was uneventful, only saying hi to a passing Akko and Lotte, the latter giving her a weird look before scribbling something into a small notebook, and then hiding it before she could see. 

‘Don’t tell me she’s writing fanfiction about me…’ She mentally complained, sighing as she pushed open her door. ‘I guess the bright side is that I can embarrass her by reading it or something.’ 

The dorm was empty. Jasminka was presumably down in the school’s kitchens, gathering ingredients for another snack she was making for everyone. Constanze was likely in her lab, working away at whatever project was keeping her busy after that Ghost Hunt, or whatever it was called.

Flopping down on her bed, her eyes gazed at the clock on Constanze’s nightstand. 

3:27 PM.

Sighing, Amanda closed her eyes and rested for a moment, relaxing after a long, stressful day of classes. Her mind began to wander, going from topic to topic, never really mulling over them any more than was needed. Classes were done, notes were taken, movie night was Saturday in her dorm, and Akko needed some extra help with flying sometime-

And then her thoughts reached Hannah.

It was...weird. For the life of her, Amanda couldn’t remember when she started having feelings for Hannah. It most certainly wasn’t before the whole Missile debacle, that much was certain. Afterwards though, their teams did start hanging out a lot more...Maybe that had something to do with it? It would make sense, all things considered.

But why was she so...infatuated with Hannah? She racked her brain for an answer to that question in particular, if only to figure out why she’d been falling, or was currently falling, for someone so...unexpected, to put it lightly.

Sure, Hannah was mean as all hell, and very well still was on particularly bad days, but Amanda would be lying if she said it wasn’t a massive improvement from where she and Barbara were before. At least now you could talk to them without losing a limb, in a verbal sense.

_Something about her just...draws me in! Like some sort of magnet. Yeah, that sounds about right._

Hannah was orderly. Amanda was chaos incarnate. Hannah was prim and proper. Amanda couldn’t care less about rules. The list goes on and on, they were like total opposites in almost every way imaginable, so why did she have a crush on her?

She figured that maybe that was why. 

_Opposites attract, as the awful romcoms say._

There was something in the way Hannah reacted to her that Amanda found more endearing than anything else. Just how she blushed and became completely undone made something swell in Amanda’s chest, as if wanting to keep going and see where it goes.

Another glance at the clock showed a time of 3:45 now, the minutes felt like they slipped by faster with all the pondering she’s been doing. Standing up from the bed, she grabbed her notes for her study session, and departed her room.

_Maybe if I run into Hannah on my way there, I can talk to her! See if she wants to go out sometime. As friends. Then I can ask her how she feels…_

The hallways, although having cleared out a fair bit by now, were still filled with groups of students walking to and from classes, dorms, and other locales across the campus. Amanda’s eyes filtered through the crowd, trying to find any sign of auburn hair, yellow bows, or any other sign of Hannah being anywhere in there, only to fail in every attempt.

This continued all the way down to the library, anxiety welling up inside of her with every step she made. What if Hannah said no? What if she began laughing instead? Then Hannah would tell Barbara, and before she knew it, Amanda would be the laughing stock of the whole school-

_Remember what Jasminka said. It’s worth a try. If she rejects you, then just take it in stride like you do everything else. Then go and sob into a pillow with a tub of ice cream after._

_You can do this._

It was at this point that Amanda realized she had reached the library, and entered. Inside, students studied for their classes, others read quietly, and more others were having meetings, discussing anything from rumors and how much was being bet on them, to the latest edition of Nightfall.

Amanda walked through the library, looking for anything that would resemble a study session.

Then, in a corner of the library, secluded from almost all other parts of it, surrounded by nothing but bookshelves, was Hannah. 

Amanda ducked behind a nearby bookcase, her heart having leapt up into her throat and beating fast, as if she was doing a trick on her broom a mile off the ground.

_Nope. I can’t do this. I can’t do this. I can’t do-_

“Amanda?”

Snapping from her mental panic at the voice, Amanda found Hannah looking at her. Mustering up all the courage she could at that moment, Amanda leaned against the bookshelf, putting on a casual grin.

“Oh hey Hannah, what’s up?” She said nonchalantly, Hannah rolling her eyes at Amanda’s antics.

“Nothing much, just waiting for this study buddy to show up.” Hannah professed with a sigh.. “Professor Chariot didn’t even tell me who I would be studying with!” 

Amanda arched a brow at this. “She did the same thing to me!” Hannah’s eyes met Amanda’s, as the former’s mouth parted in surprise, a realization hit the both of them. They then both spoke in unison, in a situation that anyone else would have found funny.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

\------------

Hannah was having an alright day before this. She really was. In spite of the...incident with Amanda at breakfast, and Barbara’s questioning of her and her feelings, today had gone somewhat decently.

But now...this was something she was absolutely not ready for. She was not ready to deal with Amanda, nor the complicated feelings that arose within her when she was around.

And she certainly wasn’t ready to do a study session with her.

The two sat awkwardly at the table in that quiet corner of the library, their notes scattered between them. The silence between them only made the situation worse, as anxiety built up in the air around the table. Amanda opened up her notebook, and Hannah cleared her throat before finding a topic to start on.

“So, what is it you’re having trouble with?” She said coldly, trying to shove down whatever feelings kept rising up in her chest, begging to be released. So far it was working.

“Oh, uh,” Amanda sputtered, flipping through a few pages in her notebook before settling on a page. “It’s, uh...this.” She passed the notebook to Hannah, who saw a section circled towards the middle of the sheet.

“Okay, I guess I can enlighten you to that.” Hannah began, handing the notebook back to Amanda. “I believe you understand the basics behind clairvoyance, am I correct?” She asked, receiving a bored nod in return. 

“A witch accesses their visions of the future through a small ritual, one that has been parodied and used by countless ‘magical’ figures you might have seen on television or the like.” Hannah made a circular motion with her hand, as if rubbing the top of a circular ball. “This, alongside a chant of some form, is used to set the activity in motion. It’s easier to start this chant aloud for beginners, but for more experienced witches they prefer to do so silently via thought. It’s similar to how we can use some spells without saying them aloud, by merely thinking them while making the correct motions.”

Amanda nodded along, knowing most of that information already, but not making that known to Hannah. She reclined in her chair, listening for anything that she didn’t know or could ask about. That, and also to seemingly watch Hannah, who was internalling suppressing a grimace.

“Oh, I thought you always had to do that creepy chant thing.” Amanda spoke, kicking her feet up on the desk while flipping through her notebook. Hannah’s expression darkened a bit at seeing this, but she otherwise refrained from commenting. An awkward air settled over the table once more.

_This is basic clairvoyance! She does the same thing with her broom, for crying out loud! All you have to do is think ‘Tia Freye’ and you’ll start flying!_

Hannah’s thoughts were interrupted by the fact that Amanda was reaching across the table for the pile of books and supplies near Hannah. On top of that was a book with a tiny slip of paper sticking out of it. Hannah’s face turned white, slapping the hand away before it could do any damage.

“I’d prefer if you kept your mind on our studies and not on whatever possession of mine has caught your attention, O’Neill.” Hannah reprimanded her, tone more harsh and cold than she originally intended. Amanda cringed slightly, but seemed unfazed otherwise.

“Yeah, sorry,” She nonchalantly responded. “Was just bored, was all.” Rubbing one hand with another, she looked back over to Hannah.

The two lapsed into a tense silence once more, with both looking over their notes and not knowing what to say. Amanda, for once, didn’t know what to say to break the tension. Hannah didn’t want to break the silence, since not only was she supposed to be helping Amanda, but she was also afraid of her tongue slipping up and admitting something that would best be left unsaid.

Hannah’s mind, still staring at the page, began to drift away, thinking of the slip of paper slid between the pages of that nearby book. Of how close the image was to its subject, and wondering how she didn’t notice it before, what with how they looked so-

_Ugh! Now is not the time to be having those thoughts!_

Hannah grimaced once more, hiding most of her face behind her notebook as she forced herself to stare at the words she wrote on the page. Though her eyes saw the words, she was unable to focus on them, their meaning being lost as she uselessly gazed at the diagrams and notes and drawings done throughout the page she was on.

Amanda cleared her throat from her side of the table, drawing Hannah’s attention as she looked up to glare at her for the disturbance.

“So,” Amanda started, leaning on the table. “Got any plans for the weekend?”

Hannah sighed in exasperation, laying the notebook down on the table as her glare became more anger fueled. “Did you not hear what I just said? We need to focus on work, or rather, you need to focus on work.” 

Amanda cringed at the cold tone again, but was again undeterred. “So was that a yes or a no?” 

She balled up a loose piece of paper and tossed it at a nearby garbage can, missing horribly, much to her own disappointment. She looked back to Hannah with a sly smile, as if she were gauging her for an answer.

“No, O’Neill, I do not have any plans for the weekend.” Hannah was growing more irritated with Amanda’s behavior by the second.

_If she doesn’t stop with those stupid, unprofessional, prying comments, I’ll...I’ll-_

“Oh that’s great! I was wondering if you wanted to come with me into town sometime. You know, just to hang out and stuff. Get some food, do some shopping, maybe even see a movie? What do you-”

To say Hannah exploded would be an understatement. Actually, no it wouldn’t, as she slammed her hands down on the table and stood up. Amanda went wide-eyed and leaned away from her.

“Amanda O’Neill!” She shouted, earning a gulp from across the table. “If you’re going to goof off and ask me worthless questions, then clearly it isn’t worth my time to help you, even if you’re struggling in your classes.” Amanda looked over at her, clearly startled to have inspired such an outburst.

“In fact, this is precisely the reason why you’re failing your classes, it’s a miracle you haven’t been expelled yet for your poor academic record.” While Hannah’s tirade continued, Amanda’s expression hardened, as she stood up and grabbed the book on top of the pile, the one with a yellow orange cover.

Hannah’s face turned pale as she reached for it, only for Amanda to use her height to her advantage, keeping it well out of Hannah’s reach. 

Opening to a random page, Amanda read a few lines, letting out a low whistle. “Wow...I had no idea you were into this sappy romance stuff Hannah!” Said girl was turning bright red as she continued to reach for the book, trying desperately to pry it from Amanda’s hands. “I always thought that was more of Barbara’s thing.” She mumbled in addition, flipping through another couple pages to tease Hannah a little more.

And then a slip of paper fell out.

It slowly fell to the floor, lying face down.

Hannah’s heart skipped a beat out of pure fear, holding her breath as she realized what was happening.

_Oh no._

Amanda reached down and picked it up without resistance, and upon seeing that one side was blank, she flipped it over to see what it was.

Amanda froze in turn, staring at the photograph for what was in reality a few seconds, but felt like minutes to Hannah.

_This can’t be happening..._

Finally, Amanda placed the photo on the table, and turned to face Hannah, a smug glint in her eyes, and an even more smug smirk on her lips. “So, you’ve got a photo of me, huh?”

It was a picture of Amanda, wearing a particular suit, hair slicked back, looking at the camera with an all too familiar smirk on her lips.

Hannah came out of her paralysis, face becoming ever more red as she mentally backpedaled. “I-Is there something wrong with that? Isn’t it normal for one to have a photo of their friends?” She crossed her arms, trying to appear composed, much like she’d seen Diana do many times before.

Amanda’s smirk grew wider. “Oh yeah, sure. It’s perfectly normal.” Amanda said as if it were a matter of fact. “Friends keep pictures of other friends all the time!” Hannah was suddenly aware of the fact that Amanda had closed the gap between them, practically being face to face with her. A look of smug confirmation plastered across her face.

“You don’t want to be just friends, do you, _Hannah England?”_

Hannah let out a small squeak, backing away from Amanda, whose smug look was dropped for one of growing concern and fear. The fear of scaring someone away being written across her features.

Amanda’s fear was replaced by surprise as she felt hands grab her collar, pulling her face down harshly. Expecting either a fist, a slap, or more yelling, Amanda squeezed her eyes shut preemptively.

_Oh man...I’ve done it now, haven’t I? Now she’s gonna hit me, and hate me for hitting on her…_

Amanda O’Neill, for once in her life, was terrified. Terrified that she would lose Hannah because of how forward she herself was, terrified of being made a fool of because of the emotions that welled up inside of her, ones that she couldn’t explain.

Above all, she was terrified of the idea that Hannah would hate her. That all Amanda had done, all the introspection and embarrassment...was all for nothing.

She tensed up, waiting for the hitting or shouting to start.

Only to be greeted with something soft pressing against her lips.

Opening her eyes, she found herself gazing at Hannah, whose own eyes were closed, her lips pressed against Amanda’s as she pulled at the collar, gripping it tightly.

Amanda could only stare, not sure of what to do. Hannah’s lips were soft, and it was...nice, to kiss her, even if it was a rushed, heat of the moment one like this. She slowly relaxed, lightly pushing back against Hannah for a few moments.

Reluctantly, Hannah released her collar, pulling away with a face redder than Amanda had ever seen on her before. Not that she herself was doing much better. The two stared at each other again, Hannah with a look of worry and guilt, and Amanda with one of shock. That damnable oppressive air of awkwardness settled over them, making the situation just that much worse.

The library was quiet, the only noise in Amanda’s head being the rushing of blood and the pounding of thoughts.

_Come on, O’Neill! This is your chance! Just fess up and...you know._

“I-” Hannah started, placing her hands over her mouth as reality caught up to her. “I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have done that…” She reached for her books, trying to gather them up while brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I-I’ll just go, if that’s fine with yo-” 

Amanad cut her off by placing a hand on her shoulder again. “Hey, it’s...uh, it’s nothing.” She looked away for a moment. “I...kinda liked it, to be honest.” She admitted, face becoming just as red as Hannah’s. “I wanted to say that I’ve, uh, got a crush on you. Listen, I don’t know how to do this whole ‘admitting a crush’ thing, so I’m sorry if I’m creeping you out or-”

It was Hannah’s turn to cut her off. “Amanda?”

“Hm?”

An arm was wrapped around Amanda’s shoulder.

“Shut up and kiss me again already.”

And so she did.

\------------

The hallways were quiet as they exited, most students were already in the cafeteria, and those that weren’t were either studying, helping teachers, or were on their way there by themselves or in small groups.

It was a minor blessing for Hannah and Amanda as they walked side by side through the halls, smiles on their blushed faces. The silence between them was a calm one this time, unburdened by the awkwardness of unacknowledged feelings and resisted pinings.

“Amanda?” Hannah asked, leaning into her.

“Hm?” An arm came around Hannah’s shoulder, holding her close as they walked along the empty halls.

“What do we do now?”

“I...don’t exactly know.” Amanda scratched the back of her head. “I, uh, didn’t think I’d get this far.”

“Oh? Amanda O’Neill, not confident in her ability to woo a maiden?” Hannah teased with a grin. “To think I’d ever see the day…” 

“And Hannah England, the girl who thought that having a crush on a degenerate like me would be the death of her.” Amanda retorted, providing her own grin to Hannah. “Two can play at the flirty insult game.”

“I think it’s best if we don’t talk about that time in my life.” Hannah let out a chuckle, before her expression went completely deadpan. “Ever again.”

“Anyway,” Amanda said, lightly pulling them in the direction of another hallway where four of them intersected. “I guess we go on a date or something now, right? Since we’re girlfriends and all?”

“Yes,” She answered. “I know a place we can go, if you don’t mind the suggestion.” She untangled herself from Amanda, as they were nearing the cafeteria. 

“I don’t. What is it?”

“There’s this cafe in Blytonbury. Barbara and I visit it once in a while for tea. They do serve food there, so maybe a dinner date?” She asked, already having some ideas in mind about how a date at that location could go.

“Sure. It’s not too expensive, right? I’m not made of money like you are.” Amanda joked.

Hannah made a tsk noise. “Making the lady pay, how barbaric.”

“Aren’t I also a lady?” Amanda asked. 

“Oh shush, you.”

“Oh I get it,” Amanda’s smug grin had returned. “You want me in that Appleton outfit, don’t you? Can’t say I blame you, I thought I pulled that off rather well.” She placed her hands behind her head as the two entered the cafeteria.

“Didn’t you get caught? And nearly got you and Akko tortured?” 

“I was talking about the outfit, not the operation, duh.”

“You’re impossible.”

Amanda simply laughed as the two filled their plates. It was the usual mix of potato products. Somewhere, someone was ranting about how much potatoes the school was buying.

“So, how does Friday at Six PM sound?” She asked Hannah, who nodded an approval.

“It’s a date.” When Amanda began snickering, Hannah sighed. “I walked into that one, didn’t I?”

The conjoined table of the Red, Blue, and Green Teams were already set up, allowing Amanda and Hannah to take their seats an inconspicuous distance away from each other. Hannah was in between Barbara and Diana as usual, while Amanda was sandwiched between Akko and Jasminka.

It was the usual conversation. Upcoming quizzes and tests, assignments, Nightfall talk, and plans for the weekend.

Hannah was quietly enjoying her meal when Barbara spoke up next to her, her voice a whisper.

“So,” She began, Hannah aware of the teasing tone almost immediately. “When are you and Amanda going on a date?”

“Wha- Whatever do you mean by that?” She asks in a returned whisper, fearing the prospect of alerting everyone else at the table of their conversation. “Also, how did you-”

She would have continued, had Barbara not reached over to mess with Hannah’s collar, lifting it up back into its normal place. “You’ve got a hickey. And you two have been making googly-eyes at each other for the past five minutes.”

True to her word, Hannah did indeed have a hickey on the side of her neck, a small mark on her skin from where she and Amanda got a little carried away. Just thinking about the fact that it was there was enough to make her face redden even more than it was already. And true to Barbara’s word, she and Amanda were indeed staring at each other, like lovesick couples so often do when seperated by even the smallest of distances.

“Okay...so we made out in the library. What of it?” Hannah admitted, with Barbara giveing a barely contained squeal of excitement.

“Oh I’m so happy for you!” She whisper-shouted, careful to keep her tone low enough so the others wouldn’t hear. Hannah still shushed her anyway. “Don’t worry Hannah, I won’t tell anyone unless you want me to.” Barbara said, taking Hannah’s hands into her own. “I know you’d do the same for me!” 

Silently nodding her thanks, Hannah then smiled. “We’re planning on going on a date on Friday!” She said enthusiastically.

“Where?” Barbara followed. Nightfall had prepared her for moments like this, after all, so she was full of advice to give to her friend. Like how to dress, proper date etiquette, how to protect your partner from evil cults, the importance of making a reservation, and how to start conversations over tea.

“That cafe you and I visit everyone once in a while.”

“Oh, the one with the amazing lemon tea? Good choice.”

While Hannah continued to share the details of her date with Barbara, Amanda felt the eyes of Jasminka and Constanze settle on her. Feeling a little uncomfortable, she turned to Jasminka.

“What?” She asked, a nervous expression on her face.

“Oh nothing,” Jasminka answered honestly, giving Amanda a smile. “I just noticed that you seemed quite happy! Did your study session go well?” 

Amanda scratched the back of her head, returning the smile. “Yeah, you could say that.” Her gaze found its way back to Hannah, who was talking quietly and excitedly to Barbara, the two giggling as they conversed. 

The sound of chalk meeting chalkboard was drowned out by the noise of the cafeteria, so Constanze had to tug Amanda’s sleeve to get her attention. She held up her small chalkboard, tapping it with the piece of chalk she had.

‘When’s your date?’

“I, uh, well you see, we’re…” Amanda continued to sputter for a good minute, face redding as time wore on. Constanze facepalmed, growing tired of her friend’s emotional stammering. 

Amanda was still blathering on, Jasminka giving her silent encouragement via nods and expressions, trying to get her to come out with it. Constanze, meanwhile, was furiously scribbling down a new message, the sound of chalk meeting chalkboard still drowned under the noise around her.

She held up the message, and Constanze didn’t have to tug Amanda’s sleeve this time.

‘We know you’re dating.’

\------------

The door to the Blue Team’s room opened up once more, as Hannah entered into it. She ran a hand through her still damp hair, a content sigh escaping her as she sat down on her bed. At least having a hot shower was guaranteed these days.

It was nine in the evening at this point, the dorm cast in a light orange glow from the few lamps and candles scattered about the room at this hour. It gave it a cozy feeling that only a lived in space like this could have at this hour. 

Barbara was laying in her bed, thoroughly engrossed in her copy of Nightfall, pages turning every minute or so as she seemed to be entirely focused on the story. To Hannah, it seemed as if she was at the climax of it, or at least a very interesting part, if her best friend’s hyper-focus was anything to go by.

Diana meanwhile was sitting at her desk. Again. Reading over material for their classes. Again. A series of textbooks piled on part of the desk, one of their number having been cracked open and being visually dissected for important information by Luna Nova’s top student.

Hannah remembered that once upon a time she and Barbara had tried to get her to stop studying so much and go to bed at a decent hour, considering that Diana spent long hours of the evening into the night absorbing all of the information Luna Nova had to offer.

Speaking of Barbara, there was a question that was building inside of Hannah, one that needed answering sooner rather than later.

“Hey...Barbara?”

“Yeah, what is it Hannah?” She replied disinterestedly, voice slightly muffled by how deeply she was entrenched into the novel in her hands.

“I’ve...uh, got a question.”

“What is it?” Her eyes continued to glide across the lines and paragraphs. 

Belle and Arthur were having a tense discussion in the gardens of a manor on a midsummers night. They were talking about them, their relationship, could it really work given all they’d been through? What of Edgar and his feelings towards them? Barbara could sense that she was only a few short sentences away from a big emotional payoff that she and Lotte could fangirl over…

“It’s about my date with Amanda.”

Barbara’s focus on the novel stopped dead in its tracks. Her head turned until she was facing Hannah, a smile on her face.

“Of course! What do you need help with?” 

The novel, now closed, was placed on the nightstand as Barbara sat up on her bed to better talk to Hannah. The emotional payoff of Belle and Arthur’s climactic talk could wait until later. Right now, Hannah needed her.

“It’s just...I don’t know what to do! I’ve been...crushing...on her for so long, that I don’t know what to do so I don’t make things awkward!” Hannah blurted out, seeming to become more uncomfortable with the admission of her feelings.

Barbara’s smile grew more empathetic, standing up only to sit down next to Hannah on her bed. Nightfall had prepared her for moments like this. Where a friend was in need of some advice for their love life, or just life in general. Sure Nightfall had things like time travel, car chases, confessions of love through newspaper clippings, and other fantastical things, but Barbara’s point still stood. 

“Hey, I know this is hard. I know you’ve been into her for a long time, we all have to an extent, but I think I’m safe in saying we’re here for you, the both of you, no matter how things go.” Barbara placed a hand on Hannah’s back, slowly rubbing circles as a means to comfort her friend.

“Wait, you guys knew?” Hannah asked, before letting out a small breathless laugh. “I should’ve figured that out sooner, huh?” Barbara nodded along, the two of them having a laugh at Hannah’s previous self-oblivious behavior.

“But...what do I do?”

Barbra thought about it for a second, before coming to a predetermined answer she liked best.

“Just be yourself, I suppose.”

The look Hannah gave her was one that signaled just how little she was buying that advice.

“Barbara, that doesn’t help.”

“Sure it does!” Barbara grabbed Hannah’s shoulders with each of her hands. “Amanda agreed to the date, right? She kissed you earlier, right?” Hannah once again became aware of the hickey on her neck, the one that Barbara had pointed out and helped her cover up at dinner.

“Y-Yeah…”

“Then that means she wants to go out with you. She wants to be with Hannah England. And you’re Hannah England, right?” 

“Yes.”

“Then whatever you do on the date, Amanda will probably be fine with it. She might even like it. Because she likes Hannah England.” Barbara said.

Hannah smiled as she hugged her friend, who returned the embrace.

“Barbs?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks.”

“I’ll always be here for you Han.”

“And I’ll always be here for you too.”

While the two friends hugged on Hannah’s bed, Diana tried to focus her attention on her studies, and resist the urge to join in as much as she wanted to.

Regardless, she was happy for Hannah.

At least now she wasn’t _completely_ in denial about her crush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, sorry about the wait (again), things have been busy, and I keep procrastinating on getting these done. Next chapter will of course be the date! So keep an eye out for that.
> 
> Thanks for reading, if indeed you still are, goodbye for now.


	4. A Date in Blytonbury

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What better day to publish the last chapter than on my b-day! 
> 
> Thank you to Monker (MemoryMonkey) and colcid for beta-ing my work, you guys have been a huge help throughout every chapter.
> 
> Here's my gift to you all, a (hopefully) nice end to this little series I've worked on over the past few months.

The streets of Blytonbury were bustling and full of people, as usual.

Crowds of people shuffled along the sidewalks, in and out of shops and restaurants, off and onto buses. Others were exiting buildings, getting off of work at this hour, and intent on making their way home. 

The buildings and streets were cast in the yellow-orange glow of the rapidly setting sun as it approached the horizon, giving the area a warm, welcoming feeling.

This, however, did not put Amanda at ease.

Weaving between the crowds of people on the sidewalks, Amanda rushed through the streets, broom in hand, giving off half-hearted apologies after bumping into someone, and narrowly dodging collisions with others as she fought her way out of one mass of people and into another. Occasionally trying to peek above the crowds to try to find a specific business out of the rest.

She was running late for a date, after all.

_“Amanda, please calm down.” Jasminka had pleaded, watching her friend pace the small gap between beds in front of her._

_When Amanda had been told by Constanze that she and Jasminka knew about her and Hannah’s…relationship, she’d been able to play that off well. But as time went on, she felt herself growing more and more nervous, more panicked about what she and Hannah were._

_She’d never been in a serious relationship before. Flings and makeout sessions in janitors closets, yes. But Amanda O’Neill had never, in all of her years so far spent on this earth, been seriously committed to a relationship like it seemed like she would be now._

_And that thought terrified her._

Sidestepping another group of people, and barely missing them with her broom, Amanda came to a crossroads. Looking about in every direction, she searched for any sign of the cafe Hannah had told her about. It didn’t help that her directions were vague, and the streets were crowded with people on this otherwise lovely Friday afternoon.

Picking a direction, she began walking again.

That pit in her stomach was still there, fear gnawing at her continuously with every step she took.

_Constanze was staring at her, as if she’d done something incredibly stupid or avoidable. She probably had._

_“I’m just...worried, okay?” Amanda had said, voice strained with panic._

_“Of what?” Jasminka followed, her bag of chips having long since been forgotten about on the desk. Her attention was entirely focused on Amanda, who was continuing to walk back and forth between the bunk bed and Constanze’s bed rather quickly. A sour look of apprehension was what she had noticed upon the pacing girl’s face._

_“It’s…” Amanda seemed to tense, as if the mere mention of what was causing her distress would bring her harm. “It’s Hannah.” she admitted, exhaling, shoulders drooping in what seemed to be defeat._

_Constanze already had her board out, the soft tap of chalk against it was the sole sound filling the room at the moment, aside from Amanda’s sneakers plodding across the floor._

_‘Afraid of Hannah?’ Were the words written upon it when she showed Amanda the small chalkboard._

A car was honking at her. Biting her tongue to keep herself from telling the driver just where he could shove his complaints, she ignored him and continued to walk further into Bytonbury’s packed streets.

They seemed to be slowly emptying, fewer people getting in her way as she weaved between masses of people going about their business. The buildings around her began to slowly light up from the inside, pinpricks of yellow or white light streaming from windows, or otherwise being hidden behind pulled shut curtains. 

“Still can’t find this...stupid...cafe!” Amanda grimaced, having arrived at another intersection. “Alright! That’s it!” She yelled in frustration.

If she couldn’t find this cafe using Hannah’s way, then she’d have to do it her way.

Walking out into the street, she hopped on her broom, mentally chanted ‘Tia Freye’, and she was floating up towards and past the Bytonbury rooftops with ease. The street below became smaller and smaller for a moment before she stopped, a good ways above the rooftops.

_“Cons, it’s not that simple.” Amanda had started, before receiving a somehow even grumpier look from the girl sitting on her bed. “It’s just...how do I know I’m not going to mess this up?”_

_Jaminka and Constanze were still for a moment, blinking, as if surprised by the comment. The former of the two spoke first._

_“What do you mean?”_

_Amanda stopped pacing, finally sitting on her bed with a sigh._

_“I just...don’t know what to do.” she exhaled, burying her face into her hands for a moment before turning to the other two._

_Constanze scribbled another message down onto the chalkboard in her hands._

_‘Not a ‘fling?’’_

_Amanda narrowed her eyes at Constanze. “No, of course not!” she said, exasperated. Receiving a questioning look in return._

_“Look, Hannah’s...different..” Amanda tried to explain. “We’re...opposites. Complete and total opposites. She’s some prim and proper noble from some noble uptight witch family, and I’m, well, me!” She said with a smile. “Look, I know I’ve done a lot of flirting. Probably way too much flirting with probably too many people.” This earned an eye roll from Constanze. “But Hannah, she responds so differently! She usually doesn’t go along with it, if anything, she shuts me down!”_

_The two looked at her as if she’d grown a second head._

_“It’s been a challenge, getting her to open up. But...I like it. I like her. I like how different from me she is!” Amanda seemed to mellow out for a moment. “I think I’d like to be serious with her.”_

_Constanze was quickly tapping away at the chalkboard, before turning it around to show Amanda a new message._

_‘Define serious.’’_

_Amanda seemed to pause. She ran a hand through her hair for a moment, trying to come up with a good answer._

_“Like, remembering that it’s her birthday, and buying her a gift because I love her, not because I’m trying to impress her.”_

_Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Constanze nodded, giving Amanda a thumbs up. A sign that she approved. Or wishing her luck. Either or._

_Continuing anyway, Amanda rambled on. “I don’t know, part of me just wants to hold her close, go on a nice walk with her, maybe kiss somewhere along those lines.”_

_‘I get it.’ Constanze wrote._

_“And fall asleep resting on each other-”_

_‘You can stop.’_

_“And hold her hand as we walk through the halls-”_

_ ‘Amanda O’Neill if you don’t stop right now I will-’ _

Flying above the streets, Amanda kept an eye out for any sign of the cafe. A sign, a group of tables, anything. Even the sight of a yellow bow or a shock of auburn hair would have tipped her off.

Finally, she saw what seemed to be a cafe. Figuring it was as good a place as any, she flew down, making sure to land across the street in case it wasn’t the correct place.

As her feet touched ground, and she hopped off the broom, she looked over at the cafe across the street. The sidewalks had cleared out by now, so it was easier to see Blytonbury’s shops and locales.

The shop in front of her seemed to be a humble cafe. Tables on the inside and out, lighting on the outside, What seemed to be a good selection of muffins, tarts, and other delectables within, if her view into the shop itself was to be believed. Some music drifted from outside as well. Nothing too energetic, more relaxing than anything else.

Moving her gaze back outside once more, she scanned the crowd. There weren’t too many people around, a few waiters, a few couples and groups dining at the tables both within the cafe and outside of it.

And then she saw a head of auburn hair.

_“But…” Amanda sighed. “I don’t know if she feels the same way.”_

_Jasminka tilted her head. “What do you mean? Didn’t you just say you wanted to ‘be serious with her?’”_

_“Well, yeah...it’s just, I know I want to be serious about our relationship, but what about Hannah? What if she just wants one date, and that’s it?” Amanda exclaimed. “I don’t know how to go about all this…”_

_“If I may make a suggestion?” Jasminka said. “You should treat it seriously.”_

_“You think so?” To which she received a nod in return._

_“If she doesn’t want to pursue a relationship with you, she will likely let you know after. So there’s no harm in going anyway. Who knows, you two might even grow closer than before!”_

_Amanda thought about it for a moment, before opening her mouth, then closing it. As if she had something to say, but didn’t know how to say it. “But what exactly do I do?”_

_Jasminka seemed to think about it for a moment as well, before smiling at Amanda. “Be yourself!”_

_“Really? That’s it?” Amanda deadpanned. “Cliche, dontcha think?"_

_Constanze tapped her chalk against the board to get her attention. A new message was written in the old one’s place._

_‘Why is she dating you?’_

_“I don’t know.” Amanda answered. “How am I supposed to know?” A new message was written a moment later._

_‘Exactly.’_

_“What Constanze means,” Jasminka interjected. “Is that you aren’t going to know how Hannah feels about you unless you go on that date.”_

_“And besides, she said yes, right?” Amanda nodded. “Then that means she wanted to go out with Amanda. She probably likes you, you just don’t know it for sure yet.”_

_“Jasna?”_

_“Yes?”_

_“Thanks.”_

_“You’re welcome!”_

_Amanda stood up. “Well, that was...something. I should probably get going to the da-” She froze. The clock read 6:15 PM._

_“I’M LATE!!!” Amanda went into a rush of activity, quickly casting metamorphosis so she could swap into something more formal-date looking, and sprinting out the door._

_“Dummkopf.” Constanze muttered beneath her breath._

Amanda, now standing across the street from the cafe, took a deep breath. “Okay, just remember what Jasna and Cons said, just be me, or something, whatever.” She ran a hand through her hair, slicking it back.

And then she walked across the street.

\------------

Hannah nearly spat out her drink when she saw Amanda.

Seeing that slicked back hair, cocky smirk, dress pants and that slightly undone button-up shirt made something in Hannah beg for another gulp of air, rather than tea. 

Hannah did, however, feel her face glow a bright red. Whether it was out of embarrassment or emotion was unknown to her, though either one seemed likely. She smoothed out her yellow-orange dress, and smiled at Amanda.

“Ah, finally, you’re here!” she exhaled, glad to at least get the conversational ball rolling. “What took you so long?”

Amanda took a seat opposite Hannah, rubbing the back of her head as she looked away for a moment. “Well, I might’ve gotten a little lost…” Hannah’s hand came up to greet her face. Amanda put her hands up. “Hey, I still got here, right?” This only earned her an eye roll from Hannah.

A waiter, spotting the duo, walked over to them, menus in hand. Setting them down before the two, they began rattling off the specials for the night. Amanda almost instantly was pouring over her menu, while Hannah listened attentively. After that, drinks were the topic of discussion, a refill of tea coming from Hannah, while Amanda asked to have what Hannah was having.

Writing the orders down, the waiter departed, leaving the two to themselves once more.

“Tea? I didn’t know you drank any.” Hannah asked, making some idle conversation.

“Oh yeah, I’ve had that iced powder stuff before.” Amanda said nonchalantly. “But I figured it can’t be bad, considering you were getting another cup of it.” 

Hannah chuckled. “Powder mix tea is not real tea, Amanda.” she said confidently.

“Huh? Why not?”

Before Hannah could enlighten Amanda to the joys of proper tea, and how the stuff she was used to was inferior, the waiter appeared again, two cups of tea on hand, interrupting them politely by setting the steaming beverages down on the table. The duo gave their thanks, followed by the necessity for orders to be filled. Amanda poured over the menu again, while Hannah asked for what seemed to be her usual, given how easily she rattled it off.

“I’ll have...what she’s having, I guess?” Amanda said, seemingly giving up on understanding what any of the culinary words on the menu meant.

Hannah raised an eyebrow at that. ‘Is she being polite or does she not know what to order?’ Was what she was thinking about, before they handed the menu’s back to the waiter, who departed once more.

“Sorry if it seems weird, me ordering the same stuff as you.” Amanda sighed. “I didn’t understand a lot of that culinary mambo-jumbo anyway. Probably should have asked Jasminka before I left about that kind of stuff.” She went to take a sip of her tea, before recoiling. “Ow!” Amanda held her hand over her mouth, having burnt her tongue.

A laugh escaped Hannah. “Dummy, that’s why you wait for it to cool before drinking!” She smiled at the girl’s unintentional antics. Amanda laughed as well, before the two settled down, simply enjoying the silence between them. 

Then a thought struck Hannah. “So, why did you accept Professor Ursula’s help? You’ve never taken anyone up on any such offer before.” The thought had occurred to her before, but there’d never been a good time to mention it to Amanda until now. It was a little strange to her, how Amanda O’Neill, someone well known in Luna Nova for actively avoiding academic responsibility, was attempting to do the exact opposite.

Across from her, Amanda leaned back, looking out towards the street. Another sigh seemed to escape her. “It’s...kinda dumb.”

“Oh nonsense! I’m sure you have a perfectly valid reason for wanting to study!” Hannah encouraged, calming sipping from her tea, which had cooled down by this point. Her eyes studied Amanda, noticing stress that seemed...odd. Amanda? Stressed? Something must be off.

“You sure?” Amanda asked cautiously. “It’s gonna sound really stupid, and really cheesy if I tell you.” 

“I’m sure it will be fine, Amanda. You can confide in me.” Hannah said, bringing her full attention around to Amanda.

“Okay, here goes…” Amanda took a deep breath in, as if preparing herself.

“When I failed that last test in Ursula’s class, I kinda realized something. If I failed more of those, I’d probably get kicked out. And while the past Amanda might’ve been fine with that, or actively wanted it, I...I wanted to stay.” Amanda exhaled, shoulders relaxing as if her admissions were lifting a weight off of her shoulders. Hannah nodded for her to continue, listening just as intently as she would in a lecture.

“A-And the reason I wanted to stay, is because of...you guys. Jasminka, Constanze, Akko, all of them. I made genuine friends, and I didn’t want to lose them because of how much I hate school work. They’re my friends, and I can’t just leave them like that.”

Amanda reached a hand across the table, placing her hand on top of Hannah’s. “And now I have you too…” 

Hannah blushed, embarrassed by the prospect that someone had seen Amanda’s confession. “I suppose I can say the same...I’ll admit I wasn’t the most...accepting, of you and your team, let alone Akko and hers, little more than a few months ago.” She shuddered, cringing at the memories that rose like floodwaters. 

A small laugh escaped Amanda, her hand unmoving. “Well, I think you’ve become a better person since then.” A glint in her eye appeared. “Or at least you managed to get that stick out of your ass.”

“Hey!” Hannah says, retracting her hand to punch Amanda in the shoulder from across the table, before beginning to chuckle, which grew into a full fledged laugh. It was apparently infectious, as Amanda began to laugh with her. This did get them a few looks from others around the cafe, but for once, Hannah couldn’t care less. Around Amanda, she felt...happier. A bit more free. And a bit more daring.

The waiter returned with their meals, which were eaten in content silence, only occasionally being interrupted with small talk of classes, plans, and how Akko blew up Professor Lukic’s classroom for the third time that month. The sun set peacefully behind the buildings of Blytonbury, as the moon began its equally monotonous rise and the stars began to shine above the two.

By the time the cheque arrived, the two of them were wrapped up in lively conversation, Amanda having ruffled out her hair into its usual style, while Hannah threw a coat over her dress.

“I’m telling you Hannah, I really did fight a possessed suit of armor at Appleton with a sword on top of a bridge!” Amanda regaled making sword motions with her fork while sitting in her chair.

“Yeah right, and I’m the Queen of England!” Hannah responded, not believing a word of it.

“Well, you’re the Queen of my England…”

Watching Hannah blush bright red and stutter out a “Shut up” got a chuckle out of Amanda, which was followed by Hannah’s pouting.

“Just because you’re good at flirting does not mean you win the argument!” Hannah countered.

“I don’t know, you seem to like the idea of me being your knight in a dashing suit.” Leaning back in her chair, Amanda grinned as Hannah buried her face in her hands, trying - and failing - to hide her embarrassment. 

The cheque was placed in the middle of the table. The two of them reached for it, before awkwardly retracting their hands.

“I should pay…” They said in unison, before their jaws went slack, staring at each other.

Hannah managed to speak first after that. “It was my idea to come here, hence I should pay.”

“Nope!” Amanda said, popping the p. “It was my idea to go on a date in the first place, so I should pay!”

“Don’t be so stubborn Amanda, you can pay next time.” Hannah reasoned, already retrieving her wallet from a purse slung along the back of her chair.

“Nah, I’d rather you pay for the next date.” Amanda said, her wallet already out of her pocket. “Come on, I thought you liked your men chivalrous and knightly and all that-” The teasing of her tone grew as Hannah’s blush deepened.

“I-If I may...couldn’t you both pay?” The waiter cautioned, earning quizzical looks from both Hannah and Amanda. The latter of the two began to chuckle, and soon the former joined in, until they were both laughing.

“I can’t believe we were being so ridiculous about this!” Hannah said, while Amanda accepted the cheque. It looked as if she’d had a heart attack when she saw the price.

“O-On second thought, maybe you should pay this time.” Amanda scratched the back of her head, trying to ignore Hannah’s increasingly deadpan expression. “Alright, alright…” She relented, putting half of the required money in the center of the table, followed by Hannah doing the same.

After the meal was done and paid for, the two set off for the Leyline to Luna Nova. As the stars continued to rise above them, the lights of the town began to activate, shining the streets in their yellow glow, which also streamed from houses and businesses that stayed open through the night. They walked under the streetlamps and past still open stores, hands intertwined as they strolled through without a care in the world.

When they came to the outskirts of Blytonbury, Amanda came to a stop. “Hey,” She started, getting onto her broom. “Wanna go for a ride?” Her smile was infectious, as Hannah got behind Amanda, wrapping her arms around her. 

“I’d love to.”

And like that they were off, the two of them soaring into the night sky, quickly gaining altitude with each passing moment. Hannah couldn’t help but squeeze her arms a little tighter around Amanda, looking behind her to see the lights down below grow further away, almost pinpricks on the earth below. 

It was a rush. A terrifying, irresponsible, exhilarating rush, feeling the wind whip by her as they climbed higher and higher. She’d never flown this high before, for fear of admonishment from the staff. But now…

Now she realized they weren’t going as fast.

Looking around, she noticed that they’d slowed down a fair bit, hovering high over Blytonbury, just below the clouds. It was a breathtaking sight, being this far up, being able to see the world stretch on for miles around in every direction. She briefly wondered how Amanda felt about it, having undoubtedly flown this high more times than either of them could count. It was certainly a free feeling, being so far from the worry and necessities of the ground down below.

“Hey, Amanda?” Hannah asked, resting her chin on the other girl’s shoulder. Amanda looked over her shoulder in return. “Hm?” 

“I love you.”

Hannah could only feel a warm feeling blossom inside of her as she watched Amanda blush. The two of them swung their legs over the side of the broom so as to sit on it, an air of warmth settling over them, in spite of the altitude’s chill.

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a joy to write this over the past several months, this being the first multi-chapter fic I've ever done. As for what next, well I've got plenty of ideas, so even I don't know yet.
> 
> Thank you for reading everyone!

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably the longest fic I've written so far, and it's only the first chapter! I'll try to have a second one up in a few weeks at the latest, where we'll see the plot unfold just a bit more. Bye for now!


End file.
